


Akazo

by dogone



Series: Akazo [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Fanfiction, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2020-10-14 01:23:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 54
Words: 93,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20592335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dogone/pseuds/dogone
Summary: Barely ten years have passed since the Fourth Great Ninja War, in which all of the Five Great Nations banded together to rid the world of the Akatsuki's evil. Eighteen-year-old Hidden Leaf ANBU Akazo Nimiah believed that true worldwide peace was finally being attained... that is until a man named Gyatsō Mataba steps in, launching chaos to the shinobi world out of nowhere.A new, independent nation dubbing themselves as the Hidden Dark rallying behind him. A group of seven extremely loyal and extremely deadly shinobi doing his dirty work. Allies as notorious as Orochimaru at his side. With all of these, just what could Gyatsō be plotting? The answer puts the existence of the Five Great Nations at stake.





	1. The Battle Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At least two possible intruders have infiltrated the Hidden Leaf Village. Intel reports that the two shinobi were last seen inside a large warehouse within the village. Hidden Leaf ANBU members Akazo Nimiah and Sasuke Uchiha are sent to investigate.

Somewhere in a Konoha warehouse, a door was just swiftly closed. Some light footsteps followed the noise. A young man with dark hair and mauve-coloured eyes was standing a few inches from the closed metallic door. Even at just eighteen years old, he bore the full uniform of the ANBU Black Ops, a group of special covert operatives. Due to his relatively unique eyes, he had to be in the Leaf's Nimiah family. That would make the young man Akazo Nimiah, who's been working in the ANBU for five years now. His lightly toned muscles were revealed through his sleeveless uniform.

Akazo's eyes focused down the hall of the warehouse. He then began to walk towards another closing door. Standing in front of that door was Akazo's ANBU partner. The partner's Sharingan was gleaming in the bright light. It was Sasuke Uchiha, who also joined the ANBU five years ago.

"They're not in the room on the far left. Any luck in there, Sasuke?" Akazo asked him.

Sasuke shook his head, which caused Akazo to clench his fists a little. He was visibly frustrated.

"No," Sasuke had replied.

"Where the hell are they then? We checked every room!" Akazo exclaimed before quickly redirecting his attention to the ceiling, bracing himself for something. Sasuke did the same.

An explosion suddenly went off above the two, which caused the ceiling to easily crack and fall. Debris and smoke riddled the hallway, but the two ANBU members were smirking now.

"So the perp's on the roof," said Akazo. Sasuke nodded before deactivating his Sharingan. There was no need to sense chakra now that they knew the enemy's exact position.

"Let's go."

The two shinobi ran up the stairs that led up to the warehouse's roof. Smoke was everywhere. When it eventually cleared, Akazo's eyes widened.

Orochimaru, one of the village's legendary Sannin, was standing above four motionless sentry ninja bodies. The leader of the Sound Ninja Five, Kimimaro of the Kaguya clan, was standing next to him. Kimimaro's white hair danced gently in the wind as he looked over to Sasuke and Akazo with a nonchalant facial expression.

Sasuke began to walk towards Orochimaru as he unsheathed his sword.

"I should've known the sinister chakra I sensed belonged to you, Orochimaru. What are you doing here?" he demanded the serpentine male.

Kimimaro also took a few steps forward, glaring at the Uchiha clan member.

"Don't expect Lord Orochimaru to spew out his intentions to you Hidden Leaf vermin," he said. The wind picked up his pure white hair again, swaying it to the side. Orochimaru smirked to himself, pleased with his pupil's loyalty. Akazo crossed his arms, angrily looking over to Kimimaro.

"You call us vermin, yet you're the one who takes orders from this sick bastard," Akazo shot back. Kimimaro took a moment before looking at Akazo, studying him. He then chuckled a little, believing him to be a lowly dog.

"Weaklings should stay in their place," Kimimaro replied. A pointed bone popped out of the male's shoulder. The white haired shinobi grabbed onto it before quickly throwing it towards Akazo. The dark haired ANBU member took out a kunai from his ninja tools pouch.

_ So,_ he thought, _this is his kekkei genkai, Shikotsumyaku. He has the ability to manipulate his bone structure._

Akazo harshly swung the kunai against the incoming bone to deflect it. The sharp bone rushed back to Kimimaro. The Kaguya clan member scoffed before moving his head to the left, the bone barely missing his cheek. Akazo also scoffed before looking over to Sasuke.

"Hey, Sasuke, do me a favour and make sure Orochimaru stays out of this," he said. He then looked back at Kimimaro with a confident smirk.

"I'll take on Kimimaro by myself."

Sasuke gave a nod to his partner while walking forward, letting out a gentle sigh as electricity sparked from his body. Orochimaru grinned widely as he cackled, already amused with the Uchiha clan member.

"Talk about suicide. You know you can't keep up with me, Sasuke," said the Sannin as he continued to laugh.

"I've had enough of your mouth already," Sasuke replied.

_ Chidori Stream._

By releasing the Chidori in every direction, an electrical discharge was shot towards Orochimaru. The Sannin quickly jumped high into the air to avoid the attack.

"Striking Shadow Snakes!"

Multiple snakes were summoned from Orochimaru's sleeve to attack Sasuke from a distance. Sasuke closed his eyes as he clutched the grip of his sword.

"What child's play, Orochimaru..."

Sasuke reopened his eyes to reveal his blazing pair of Sharingan. With one swift move of his arm, every head of the incoming snakes were decapitated. Orochimaru landed on the ground, losing his smile.0

Meanwhile, Kimimaro was staring at Azako with his teeth gritted.

_ This worthless Hidden Leaf dog,_ he thought,_ had the nerve to insult Lord Orochimaru._

The black curse seal that was located of the upper portion of Kimimaro's chest slowly turned orange-red and expanded in lines spreading all over his body in contorting and parallel lines. Eventually, his entire skin was covered in the orange-red seal.

Akazo gasped loudly, gritting his teeth as he stared at the transforming shinobi with uneasiness.

"What the hell's happening to him?!" he said to himself.

Kimimaro smirked widely as he activated the second level of his curse mark, taking on a dinosaur-like appearance complete with a tail. Several large bones protruded from his darkened skin. Four distinguishing figures were also gained: two dark black curved-like markings under his eyes - one under each eye and two as elongated eyebrows - one above each eye. His teeth had also grew into small fangs.

After his transformation was complete, Kimimaro slowly looked up to stare into Akazo's shocked eyes.

"I'll make sure you regret your words."


	2. Strength Personified

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Upon having his master insulted, Kimimaro uses the power of his Curse Mark to bring vengeance to his opponent Akazo.

Akazo stared at the newly transformed Kimimaro with sheer disbelief. This was the first time he saw the curse seal in action.

"W-what is this?!" he gasped out. Kimimaro smiled at the male, sliding his hand across the seal on his chest.

"This is the earth's curse mark, a gift from Lord Orochimaru, whom you dared to disrespect. I'll make you pay," Kimimaro replied. There was a definite tone of anger in his voice.

_ Larch Dance!_

All at once, multiple sharp, curved bones protruded from Kimimaro's chest, arms, and back. Dashing towards Akazo, Kimimaro spun his body rapidly. Akazo tried to evade, confused by the haphazard technique, but it was too late. He was caught in Kimimaro's fray and slashed all over his body.

When Kimimaro stopped spinning, Akazo exhaled in pain and collapsed to the ground.

"Get up, you hardly suffered enough," said Kimimaro. Akazo began to move his body but abruptly stopped.

_ Perhaps_, thought Kimimaro, _he's too injured to stand. Die then._ He lightly chuckled to himself as he pulled a bone from his shoulder, holding it above Akazo's neck.

"You're just a helpless fool."

He brought the bone down with force, stabbing Akazo in the neck.

** Poof!**

Akazo's body turned to a small puff of smoke and dissipated into the air. Kimimaro gritted his teeth a little, realising the situation.

"A Shadow Clone. Where did he scurry off to?" Kimimaro asked himself.

"Fire Style: Flame Wheel!" yelled Akazo, who was now high above Kimimaro. With a great exhale, he blew out a large circle of flames that spun towards his opponent.

"There's no point in this resistance," said Kimimaro. Multiple large bones protruded from Kimimaro's body and absorbed the fire with ease. The bones then quickly twisted and grouped together on his right arm to form a single, large bone with a pointed tip. Akazo gasped, gritting his teeth in frustration.

"Now it's my turn," said Kimimaro with a gentle smile.

_ Clematis Dance... Flower!_

Kimimaro slammed his massive tail against the ground, which propelled his body into the air.

"Here he comes!" gasped Akazo. He took out another kunai and held it in front of his body, looking to block the attack or at the very least lessen the impact.

"That won't suffice either!" yelled Kimimaro. He shoved the giant bone forwards. Akazo quickly raised the kunai to block the bone attack. In a few seconds, the kunai cracked before shattering apart.

_ Damnit! That thing is as solid as steel!_ thought Akazo.

Kimimaro smirked widely and brought his right arm back before thrusting it forward, impaling Akazo in the stomach. Akazo's eyes grew bloodshot as he coughed up blood. Kimimaro then pulled the bone from Akazo's stomach, making more blood leak from the wound. A bone slid out of Kimimaro's left arm as the "flower" shattered apart. Akazo held onto his injured stomach as he fell from the sky, blood running down his mouth.

"It's over for you... Galium Spurium Dance!"

Kimimaro appeared directly above Akazo, swinging the bone side by side with intense speed. Akazo grunted in pain as Kimimaro kept slashing him, a bit of blood flying in all directions.

"I told you that you'd pay!" said Kimimaro as he swung his body over, performing a midair somersault before kicking Akazo with brute force, sending him crashing to the ground in a bloody and bruised mess. Kimimaro landed on the ground, breathing heavily.

_ I used more chakra than I anticipated_. He looked over to Akazo's shaking body.

"Are you feeling too much pain? Allow me to end it for you permanently."

He walked to Akazo's body, bone in hand. Akazo coughed up more blood before looking him in the eyes. Kimimaro slightly smiled and grabbed him by his torn shirt, picking him up. Akazo coughed up blood blood, a dab of the red liquid landing on Kimimaro's cheek.

Kimimaro gritted his teeth as he used a thumb to wipe the blood off him. A few moments later, he jabbed the bone deep into Akazo's chest. Akazo's body instantly went limp. Kimimaro dropped the male's body onto the ground before chuckling again.

"You should feel proud having seen my dance, Akazo Nimiah."


	3. Sasuke's Visual Prowess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Kimimaro quickly defeats Akazo with the power of his Curse Mark, the pressure is put on Sasuke to find a way to defeat his powerful foes alone.

Kimimaro deactivated the second stage of his curse mark, staring at Akazo's motionless body. Sasuke had watched the fight between the two and gasped upon Akazo's quick defeat.

"Akazo!" he yelled. A large snake quickly wrapped around Sasuke. The sound of Orochimaru's vile laughter could be heard.

"Taking your eyes off of me... are you taking me lightly, Sasuke? You know full well you shouldn't," said the Sannin as the snake began to compress Sasuke.

_ He's so annoying... Chidori Stream!_

Multiple currents of electricity engulfed Sasuke's body to fiercely electrocute the snake. After a few seconds, it fell off of his body, dead. Now mobile, Sasuke appeared above Orochimaru with electricity forming in his left hand. Kimimaro gasped, looking over to them.

"No you don't," he said softly as he held his hands in front of his body.

_ Digital Shrapnel!_

Multiple hardened bones shot out of his fingertips, all of them aiming at Sasuke.

"Now _he's_ interfering," muttered Sasuke as he used his right hand to quickly reach into his ninja tools pouch. He threw several kunai at the bones to deflect them. Kimimaro growled, the marks on his skin spreading and changing orange-red. His appearance changed back into the second stage of his curse mark.

Massive bones twisted together on his right arm as he ran towards Sasuke. Landing on the ground, Sasuke looked back to Orochimaru. The Sannin smirked at him as he raised his arm.

"Striking Shadow Snakes!" he yelled. Snakes formed on his right arm and shot towards the Uchiha clan member. Sasuke gritted his teeth, sweating a little.

_ A collaborated attack_, he thought._ If I dodge Orochimaru's snakes, I'll get impaled by Kimimaro. If I don't dodge Kimimaro, both of their attacks will get me._

"It's over!" yelled Kimimaro, who was now in front of him. Sasuke frowned as he widened his eyes. Kimimaro looked directly in them and stopped in his tracks soon after. The giant bone stopped right in front of Sasuke's chest.

Kimimaro slightly opened his mouth and looked around. The only thing that he could see was a giant Sharingan eye that was spinning. Everything else was engulfed in darkness.

_ He put me under a genjutsu?!_

Now under his control, Sasuke pushed Kimimaro forward before he jumped back. He smirked with satisfaction as Orochimaru's snakes collided into Kimimaro. Now dashing towards the immobile Kimimaro, Sasuke shoved his left arm forward, impaling Kimimaro's chest with the Chidori he was charging. The electricity sparked as it struck Kimimaro's heart.

Kimimaro's eyes widened as he coughed up blood. His curse mark immediately deactivated as he fell face-first to the ground.

Sasuke paced his breathing as he looked at Orochimaru. The Sannin rose an eyebrow as he crossed his arms, directing his attention to his injured subordinate.

"Remarkable. Leave it to you to best Kimimaro like that!" Orochimaru said with a wide grin. Sasuke gripped the collar of his cloak before pulling it off entirely. He was wearing a standard ANBU uniform. After tightening his arm guards, Sasuke looked straight into Orochimaru's cold eyes.

"Any compliment or praise that comes out of your mouth is an insult, Orochimaru... you'll be joining Kimimaro soon."

"The most you can do is _try_ to kill me. You simply aren't strong enough to actually do it," Orochimaru shot back.

Sasuke performed multiple hand seals before electricity began to form in his hand. He then dashed towards Orochimaru, thrusting his hand forward.

"Chidori!"


	4. Heavens' Curse Mark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having used his cunning and ingenuity to put down Kimimaro, Sasuke now finds himself in a one-on-one bout against Orochimaru.

With his smirk still on his face, Orochimaru jumped to the side, successfully dodging the attack. He then bolted forwards, swiftly bringing his leg up to kick Sasuke back.

"I'll show you what true strength is, Sasuke Uchiha!" he yelled. His body morphed into a giant, black-haired snake. Smaller white snakes made up its skin. The transformed Sannin's slitted yellow eyes darted down to Sasuke. He hissed loudly, which sent a shockwave throughout the area.

Sasuke gritted his teeth as the shockwave blew him back a few feet. 

_So the bastard wants to defeat me in his true form_.

From the curse seal on his neck, which appeared as three tomoe, black markings that resembled flames spread across his body.

_I'll send you to the grave with this form, Orochimaru!_

The marks then turned orange-red and covered his entire body. At the same time, his skin turned dark-grey and his hair grew longer as it turned dark blue. His eyes had also turned dark grey. Two webbed-claw-shaped wings formed out of his back. Finally, a dark, star-shaped mark appeared across the bridge of his nose.

Now in his second curse mark stage, Sasuke looked up to Orochimaru, his Sharingan blazing.

"This ends now..."

Black electricity engulfed Sasuke's left hand as he quickly flapped his wings to levitate into the air. After flying up some distance, he roared, quickly heading towards the transformed Sannin. The black Chidori's thunderous current ripped through the air.

He threw his arm forward to impale Orochimaru. The dark electricity pulsated loudly as Sasuke completely tore through the Sannin, flapping his wings as he looked at the open wound.

"Heh. That'll show you not to make light of me, Orochimaru."

Sasuke smirked with pure satisfaction as the giant snake hissed before falling onto its belly. A few moments later, he noted that Orochimaru's skin was twisting together to quickly heal the injuries sustained from his attack.

Sasuke gasped as he still flapped his wings. _R__egeneration__ abilities, _he thought angrily. _It __seems the wound was healed almost instantaneously! _

Suddenly, multiple white snakes tore from Orochimaru's skin and shot at Sasuke. The Uchiha clan member dodged a few, but the remaining latched onto him and sunk their teeth into his flesh. A few moments later, Sasuke's curse mark completely deactivated.

With the absence of his wings, Sasuke crashed onto the ground.

"D-damnit! These things are sucking up my chakra that fast?!" he gasped as he pried the snakes off him. 

_T__his__ is bad, really bad. I can't get a good hit on him because of his instant regeneration, and even if I could, I won't have any chakra _lef_t._

He then slowly stood up and closed his eyes.

_If I can't actually defeat him in that form, I'll have to keep him at bay until Akazo recovers. If that's the case, it shouldn't be too difficult._

Sasuke performed multiple hand seals for a fire style ninjutsu. After inhaling a fair amount of air, he exhaled a large fireball that quickly grew more in size the farther it flew.By the time it reached Orochimaru, the fireball was almost the size of the colossal white snake himself. Orochimaru didn't even bother to evade, he just sat there with a smirk on his face.

When the fireball hit the Sannin, a large amount of smoke surfaced around the area. Sasuke gritted his teeth a little as he ran forward, wanting to see if he sustained any damage. Suddenly, Orochimaru emerged from the smoke, rushing towards Sasuke with his mouth open wide. 

Sasuke bounded back, gasping with surprise.

_Is he planning on eating me?!_

Holding his arm out in front of his body, Sasuke charged another Chidori in his palm. By using his mastery over shape transformation, the Chidori formed into an electrical discharge that resembled a spear. He then swung the Chidori Sharp Spear upwards to slice Orochimaru's body in half as soon as he came into his five-metre range.

However, just as before, Orochimaru's massive body regenerated almost instantly. Once he was done healing, the giant snake charged at Sasuke again, hissing loudly. 

Sasuke managed to dodge Orochimaru's attempts at biting him, but barely, as his fatigue was catching up with him. He then swung the electrical spear at the Sannin's neck this time, successfully decapitating his head from his body. Sasuke had predicted that this time, the regeneration would take longer, and it did.

Sparing himself what little time he was able to steal, the Uchiha clan member jumped back as he tried to devise a better plan of attacking before growling in anger.

"I don't have enough time to think, he's healing already!" he yelled as he ran towards Orochimaru's regenerating body. Before he could get close enough to slice him again, he stopped in his tracks.

Suddenly, massive bones protruded from the ground and wrapped around Orochimaru, acting as a shield. Sasuke gritted his teeth as he looked ahead, eyeing a wounded Kimimaro now standing in front of the bones.

Kimimaro's eyes were bloodshot and a large open wound was present on his chest. Even parts of his visibly damaged heart could be seen from the wound. Blood dripped from his torn flesh as he took a few steps forward, breathing heavily as he looked back at Sasuke.

"I'm... not finished with you _yet_... Sasuke Uchiha!"


	5. Kimimaro, the Strongest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even after Sasuke impaled him through the heart, Kimimaro is back on his feet in order to protect his master.

Sasuke panted heavily as he stared at the wounded Kaguya clan member. Kimimaro also stared at Sasuke, his green eyes locked onto the black haired male. 

_You__ bastard, _Sasuke thought.

"Since you want to save Orochimaru so much, I'll have to kill you first," he yelled at the white-haired male. Kimimaro closed his eyes as the wind picked up his hair again. It took a few moments for him to steady his breathing.

"I no longer fight through physical means," Kimimaro started. He placed a hand on his damaged chest, coating it with his own blood.

"Therefore, bodily wounds like this won't be enough to kill me. My ability to continue fighting stems from Lord Orochimaru's spirit!" he yelled. A single drop of blood landed on the ground. Behind the bones, Orochimaru was converting back to his human form. Once he completed doing so, he jumped to Kimimaro's side, crossing his arms. Kimimaro looked at him with a gentle smile, bowing his head.

"I'll finish him off, my lord," he told him.

Sasuke took a step forward, tightly clutching a kunai. 

"If you still fight for his sake, you'll die today_,_" he declared. Kimimaro opened an eye. 

_ I will not perish until Lord Orochimaru's goals are met. I made that promise a long time _ _ago._

"Then try and kill me, you weakling," replied Kimimaro. Black markings slowly spread all over his skin as a bone popped out of his shoulder. He held onto it and pointed it at Sasuke with a smirk. 

After letting out a grunt, Sasuke dashed towards Kimimaro, flicking his hand to the right. Kimimaro matched the Uchiha's speed by swinging the bone to the left to deflect the kunai. Sasuke continued to throw kunai at Kimimaro, who swung the bone left and right, continuing to knock the blades away. A fierce sound was made as their weapons continued to strike each other.

Sasuke jumped backwards before rushing forward, throwing another kunai. Kimimaro squinted before hitting the kunai away. The knife landed on the ground nearby. Sasuke would then appear in front of Kimimaro, landing a heavy kick to his chest. Kimimaro grunted with pain before spinning around, directing a sharp kick to Sasuke's abdomen. Sasuke flew back, snatching the kunai from before mid-air before landing, rushing forward. 

The two shinobi continued to clash, their weapons clanging against each other. Sasuke jumped back once more, panting. Kimimaro was also panting as he pointed the bone at Sasuke again. 

_He's good, _thought the Kaguya clan member. _Or at least, better than his partner._

Sasuke smirked a little as he pointed to the hole in Kimimaro's chest.

"Your movements have gotten slower. How much longer will you deny your wounds are slowing you down?" he asked. Kimimaro didn't respond. Instead, he rushed forward, swinging the bone quicker than ever before. Sasuke's eyes widened as he managed to quickly duck. The bone had scratched Sasuke's cheek, drawing a line of blood.

The white-haired male gasped as his breathing grew faster again. He clutched his chest as he stumbled backwards, coughing up blood as his eyes once again grew bloodshot.

_What's happening to me?! _

Seizing the opportunity, Sasuke shoved the kunai into Kimimaro's chest. The blade had pierced Kimimaro's exposed heart. Blood landed on Sasuke's face. He stood slowly as Kimimaro's limp body laid against his shoulder. The bones behind Orochimaru shattered apart immediately afterwards.

"So, he's really dead now," muttered the Sannin. He then began to give a light chuckle, which soon grew into a maniacal laugh. Sasuke clenched his fists as he turned to the Sannin. 

"The next person who's going to die is you, Orochimaru!" he said. 

"I'm going to be nice for a change and reunite you with your brother," Orochimaru said with a grin. 

"What?!" Sasuke boomed.

_Don't tell me he's going to use that technique again!_

Orochimaru smirked widely as he performed multiple hand signs before slapping his hand on the ground. 

"Summoning Jutsu... REANIMATION!" he yelled. 

Several wooden boxes with seals began to rise from the ground. An eerie creaking noise filled the area. The seals on the boxes turned red as the cases fell to the ground. 

Sasuke looked in utter horror as he watched Itachi Uchiha, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Hashirama Senju, Haku of the Hidden Mist, and Deidara of the Hidden Cloud emerge from the boxes, all of them wearing red cloaks.


	6. Allies to the Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke now finds himself in a deadly situation against several powerful shinobi brought back into the realm of the living with Orochimaru's Reanimation Jutsu. That is, until his backup finally arrives, with an unlikely ally leading them.

Sasuke quickly bounded backwards, staring at the standing corpses. He clenched his fists tightly as he looked over to his reanimated brother. The last time they met, they were fighting together. Now he'd have to fight _against_ him.

_ I can't believe you've been reanimated again... brother!  
_

"How many lives must you toy with in order to fulfill your twisted pleasures?!" he yelled at Orochimaru. The Sannin in question licked his lips as he performed a single hand seal. The eye sclera of the numerous reanimated shinobi turned black, indicating their bodies and personalities were being controlled. He then sent a telepathic message to them.

_ Your_ _ only purpose is to kill those two Leaf ninja, so go on and do _ _it._

The reanimated shinobi nodded in unison. Suddenly, mirrors made from ice formed around Sasuke and Akazo's body. Sasuke quickly looked over to Haku, who was performing hand seals.

"Secret Jutsu... Crystal Ice Mirrors!" said the Yuki clan member. An image of himself holding multiple senbon in his hand appeared on all of the ice mirrors. Sasuke braced himself, knowing he didn't have enough energy to dodge or evade the attacks.

_ Damnit_ _... is this the end?_

Haku threw multiple senbon that flew towards Sasuke's neck. Normally, senbon weren't lethal, but someone with on-spot precision like Haku could make them deadly.

Suddenly, a wall of sand quickly rose from the ground, which shielded Sasuke from the senbon before they could hit him.

"What?" Haku gasped. The wall of sand lowered until it revealed Gaara of the Desert with an annoyed facial expression.

"It's you, Gaara," said Sasuke, relief in his tone. Gaara began to speak, still looking at the reanimated shinobi.

"Sasuke Uchiha, you and your partner are too injured to continue fighting here. Get Akazo and relocate to the Hokage's residence. Lady Nori is awaiting you," he had said.

Sasuke nodded and stood up.

"But what about you? You'll fight them alone?" he asked. Gaara crossed his arms as he shook his head.

"No, a large squad of ANBU Black Ops are on their way here as we speak," replied the red-haired male. Sasuke picked up Akazo's wounded body.

"Alright then... be careful, Gaara." He then jumped off the roof.

Orochimaru smirked, eyeing the former Kazekage closely.

"Well now... Shukaku's own Jinchuriki has joined the fray, how _interesting_."

"What is your business here, Orochimaru?"

"Nothing concerning you, although I'm sure you'll find out in the long run," the Sannin replied as he gripped Kimimaro's body by the shirt.

"As fun as it was, I have to take my leave now... do enjoy yourself!"

After performing a single hand seal, Orochimaru disappeared with Kimimaro's body.

Deidara walked forward with a smirk on his face. Gaara lowered his arms as he looked into the blonde male's eyes.

_ So, we meet again. _ _You're_ _ that _ _Akatsuki_ _ who attacked the Hidden Sand back then..._

Deidara pulled his cloak back and reached his hand into the pouch strapped to his waist.

After a brief matter of seconds, he revealed a clay bird that sat on his palm. The bird then flapped its wings and dashed towards Gaara.

Gaara morphed a small piece of the sand wall into a sand shuriken and threw it at the clay bird. The bird exploded on impact. Deidara scoffed, walking towards him.

"Hmph. I won't be losing this rematch, Jinchuriki. I'll just have to render you unconscious _again!_" he said.   
  
Deidara reached into his pouch again and grabbed a handful of clay. The mouth on his palm quickly bit and chewed the clay, until it eventually turned the ball into multiple clay insects.

"Here you go!" he yelled, tossing them at Gaara. Multiple parts of the sand wall morphed into more sand shuriken and shot at the clay insects, causing a barrage of massive explosions.

Deidara stared at the explosions, rapt. He then smiled widely as he laughed a little.

_ S__uch__ beauty! _he thought excitedly.

Itachi Uchiha walked forward, sighing out gently.

"Deidara, you always seem to start scuffles you have little chance of winning," he said.

The blonde haired male growled and looked at Itachi, who didn't look back.

"Hmph. You didn't say that last time, when I actually caught him. Just shut up and watch my art blow him to smithereens, Itachi!" he rebuked.

"Whatever the case may be, I'm ending this fight, despite it being your rematch," Itachi said softly, looking at Gaara. He performed several hand signs and moved his hand to his mouth.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu."

Itachi blew out a large ball of fire that rushed towards Gaara.

Gaara rose his arms high, a massive sheet of sand forming above his body. The sand would then crash onto the fireball, absorbing it.

"I'll make this quick," said Gaara. Itachi smiled at him a little. His Sharingan then evolved into the Mangekyou Sharingan.

"Are you truly able to do so?"

"You underestimate me, Itachi Uchiha... now take this!"


	7. A Battle of Sharingan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Battling against a reanimated Itachi, Gaara is eventually put under the Uchiha's genjutsu. But before Itachi can deal a fatal blow, an old acquaintance of his intervenes.

Gaara's cluster of sand quickly formed into a sword and hardened. Waving his arms, Gaara swung it at Itachi. After just two such swings, it sliced Itachi.

On impact, Itachi's body morphed into several black crows. The crows would then eventually fly close together until his body formed.

"So it's true. You have your father's ability to manipulate sand with chakra," he said.

"That's right. And I know that you use that Sharingan of yours to trap shinobi in genjutsu, but that won't work on me so long as I have Shukaku," replied Gaara.

Sand would then quickly wrap around Itachi's body.

"Now you're done for," said Gaara as he held his arm out. Itachi smiled before looking Gaara right in the eyes.

"Before you attempt to finish me, I suggest you take a look at yourself," he said.

Gaara blinked and immediately noticed that he was covered in his own sand. Itachi was spotless.

"You put me in a genjutsu," said the former Kazekage, wincing a little.

_ How did he get through Shukaku that easily? Was I already in an illusion before I even began my attack?_

"Genjutsu _is_ my specialty, as you already know," Itachi started as he slowly rose his arm. Gaara gritted his teeth, glaring at the Uchiha clan member.

"You fooled yourself into thinking your Tailed Beast would always break you out of a genjutsu. But what if I were to put the Tailed Beast itself into an illusion? I did just that, and it seems I did it without fail," Itachi explained.

With a slight smile, he closed his eyes as he pointed his arm out. Multiple crows with swords held in their beaks formed underneath his arm and quickly flew towards Gaara. The immobile red-haired shinobi braced himself while also questioning if he were still in Itachi's genjutsu.

"Earth Style: Mud Wall!" yelled a new voice behind Gaara.

A sizeable wall of earth suddenly rose in front of the crows to block them away. The crows disintegrated on impact as the wall then lowered.

Kakashi Hatake, wearing a full ANBU uniform, was now standing next to Gaara. Kakashi became a Captain of an ANBU squad after the Fourth Great Ninja War ended.

Gaara looked up at Kakashi, not surprised with his sudden entrance.

"It's been quite some time, Kakashi," he said as the sand encasing his body slowly went back into his gourd.

"I went ahead of my squad. I'm glad I did, or you would've been seriously injured just now," said the white-haired male. Itachi scoffed at his former comrade, sighing gently.

"Kakashi, I'm very disappointed in you... for you are still among the corrupted force of the ANBU Black Ops," he said. Deidara smirked widely, also looking over to Kakashi.

"This is great for me, hmph! I'll be able to exact my revenge on you for what you did to me back then!" he yelled at him. The memory of losing his arm to Kakashi's Kamui was forever burned into his head. The elder Hiruzen walked forward after observing everything from the sidelines.

"Kakashi, you're going to regret coming here," he told him. After slapping his hands together, Monkey King Enma was summoned to his side. His old companion transformed into his staff form to be used as Hiruzen's weapon.

"Go, Enma!"

The end of the staff quickly extended towards Kakashi. The white-haired male jumped in the air to dodge it.

Hashirama also walked forward, performing multiple hand seals.

"Forgive me," he said to himself.

_ S_ _ecret Wood Style Jutsu: Deep Forest Emergence!_

Barricades of trees emerged from the ground and rose in the air, trapping Kakashi. More trees and vegetation formed until an entire forest was created atop the roof.

"Huh. I never thought I'd be able to see Lord First's Wood Style in person," Kakashi mumbled as he landed on a tree and looked around.

Hashirama performed more hand seals. Large branches covered with explosion tags formed on the trees.

"Now then!"

The branches closed in on Kakashi and exploded immensely, setting numerous trees on fire. Upon the explosion, Kakashi's body turned into a log and poofed away.

The white-haired ANBU captain reappeared in the air above Hashirama with electricity forming in his hands. He quickly dashed towards the first Hokage and shoved his hand forward.

Suddenly, Itachi appeared in front of Kakashi and smashed his knee into his chest. Kakashi crashed down to the ground, sliding again at it. He winced and looked up, now peering into the eyes of a shadow clone that Itachi created.

"Try as you might, you will never have the element of surprise so long as I have these eyes," said the clone. A single streak of blood ran down its right eye.

"Die, Kakashi..."


	8. The Sixth Hokage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back at the Hokage's residence, Sasuke is explaining the ordeal currently taking place in the village to the Sixth Hokage, Nori Senju.

At the Hokage's residence, the sound of grass cracking could be heard. A woman wearing the Hokage's hat was sitting on a firm chair. The black-haired woman's name was Nori Senju.

The daughter of previous Hokage Tsunade, and her spouse, Dan Kāto. The sixth shinobi to be bestowed the title of Hokage. Kakashi was nominated to be Hokage, but he declined the offer, so Nori as the next candidate was given office.

Nori laid her hands on the desk as she looked up to see Sasuke Uchiha.

"That's what happened, Lady Hokage," he concluded. Nori moved her hand to her chin before closing her eyes.

"So... you're telling me Orochimaru infiltrated the village _that_ easily?!" she boomed.  
  
Sasuke was sitting in front of her with his arms crossed. Shizune, the Hokage's assistant, stood next to Nori with Tonton in her arms. The larger pig fearfully oinked and lowered its ears.

"Yes. And as unfortunate as it as, I doubt yelling about it will help," Sasuke replied.

Nori rested back in her chair sighing out.

"I suppose so. Is Orochimaru still in the village?" she asked. Sasuke shook his head.

"Very unlikely. The shinobi he reanimated are more than capable of defeating our forces without his help," he replied.

_Big brother..._

"It looks like you caught a glimpse of them, Sasuke. Who did Orochimaru bring back from the dead?"

Sasuke lowered his head, thinking of the nightmares that stood before him just minutes ago.

"Itachi Uchiha... Haku of Kirigakure... Deidara of Kumogakure... Lord Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi... and Lord First Hokage, Hashirama Senju."

Nori's eyes widened as sweat glistened off her forehead.

_ This __isn't__ good, _she thought. _Ak__atsuki__ members, elite hunter ninja, and __Hokages__?!_

Her hands clenched into fists as she closed her eyes.

_That snake tongued bastard will pay for torturing great grandpa's soul again!_

"I see... as it stands, those shinobi are too strong for our ANBU resistance. Damn... what do you think we should do, Shizune?" she asked.

"Well, if even our ANBU forces won't be enough to defeat the enemy... then I'm not sure, Lady Nori," replied Shizune.

Sasuke looked up to Nori with a smirk now his face.

"The only way to win now is to find a shinobi that's considerably stronger than an ANBU member, but on par with the Akatsuki."

Shizune looked at Sasuke, frowning.

"The only ninja of that calibre is _another _member of the Akatsuki!"

Sasuke lightly chuckled and looked at the shorter woman.

"Precisely. She's on her way here as we speak," he said.

Shizune slightly opened her mouth in confusion. After a few moments, someone knocked on the door.

"Is this her?" Nori asked. Sasuke nodded.

"Come in."

The door slowly opened. Nori, as well as Shizune, gasped and stared at the woman holding onto the door.

"Konan..."


	9. Sharingan Warrior Kakashi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi narrowly escapes Itachi's Amaterasu and begins his own assault against his reanimated foes.

Itachi's clone observed in silence as Kakashi became engulfed in the black flames of Amaterasu. However, after but a few seconds, Kakashi's body warped away.

"Hm?" the clone muttered.

Suddenly, a piercing sound could be heard, as well as a yelp of pain.

"Augh!" yelled Hashirama.

The clone turned around to see Kakashi next to Hashirama, a Lighting Blade impaled into his chest.

_How did he extinguish the Amaterasu?_

Kakashi widened his left eye, revealing his Mangekyou Sharingan. Hashirama fell to the ground, gritting his teeth as his body began to disintegrate.

"How did you-"

"When I was hit by the Amaterasu, I used Kamui on myself. Luckily, it happened to put out the flames when I warped back to attack you," the ANBU captain replied. The shadow clone slightly tilted its head at Kakashi's explanation.

_ I see... apparently, transporting to the Kamui dimension places its user in space, even if for a few seconds. Fire, no matter how hot or inextinguishable, can't survive in space. Oxygen is needed to create a fire. Without_ _it, the fire __dies._

The clone would then morph into several black crows before fading away.

Hashirama choked on his own words as his body completely disintegrated. Kakashi turned towards the rest of his enemies.

"The rest of you, come on," he said. Deidara growled before shoving his hands into his pouch.

"You little overconfident bastard... hmph!" he yelled, tossing several large clay birds at Kakashi.

"Now die!"

Just before they exploded, Gaara morphed a ball of sand around the explosives, where they detonated inside.

"That accursed sand _always_ gets in my way," sighed Deidara. Haku ran forward.

"Let's just finish them off!" he said, throwing multiple senbon at Gaara and Kakashi.

"You have to be better than that," said Gaara as he rose his left arm. A small piece of sand wrapped around the senbon, stopping them midair.

Haku smirked under his mask and continued to run, performing several hand signs.

_ Then, h_ _ow about this?_

Large blocks of ice rose from the ground, sliding towards Gaara. Before Gaara could react, the ice smashed into him, sending him flying into the air.

Kakashi looked back, gasping.

"Gaara!" he yelled.

A large clay centipede suddenly wrapped around Kakashi. The ANBU captain turned his head to look over at Deidara, who was laughing at him.

"You left an opening, hmph!" he said.

The clay model then exploded. Kakashi's left eye twitched as he warped away at the moment of the explosion, reappearing behind Deidara.

Deidara lightly gasped, startled, and quickly turned around.

"YOU'RE-" the yellow-haired male yelled. Kakashi shoved a hand full of electricity into Deidara's chest.

"_You're_ finished," said Kakashi.


	10. Konan's Unknown Motives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Former Akatsuki member Konan, now residing in the Hidden Leaf Village, has arrived at Sasuke's and Nori's meeting.

A blue-haired woman looked into Sasuke's eyes and softly smiled at him. Sasuke smiled back at her, sending her a friendly wave.

"You're right on time, Konan," he said. Shizune suddenly pulled out a kunai and pointed it at Konan.

"Sasuke, are you out of your _mind?!_ There's no way the village needs help from an Akatsuki member!" she yelled. Konan annoyingly glared at the hostile woman.

"I'm no longer a member of the Akatsuki," she told her condescendingly.

"That doesn't mean you were never affiliated with them! I promise you, if you attack the village or Lady Nori, I _will _end you!" Shizune shot back. Konan closed her eyes and sighed.

"So _this _is my thanks for offering my help?" she asked.

Shizune slowly lowered the kunai and looked down.

"Well," she started. After letting out another sigh, Nori stood up, looking at Shizune.

"Even if her betrayal is a possibility, we need all the help we can get, Shizune," she said. Shizune bowed her head.

"Yes, milady."

"Besides, if she does betray the village, she'll be locked up for a really long time," said Nori.

"I assure you that I will not betray the village, Lady Hokage. I give you my word," said Konan. Nori turned to Konan, looking her in the eyes. 

"Good. Now your objective is simple. I want you to either capture Orochimaru if he's still lurking in the village, or defeat his reanimated pawns. Is that understood?" she asked. Konan nodded.

"I do. Will Sasuke Uchiha and Akazo Nimah accompany me?" she asked the Hokage.

"Unfortunately, my partner was heavily injured in battle, and I need to stay here to provide intel to the Hokage," Sasuke replied.

"I see. If you don't mine my asking, where's Akazo being held?"

"In a medical facility not too far from here. He should be fine, just unconscious."

Konan nodded at Sasuke and turned around.

"I shall do my best for the benefit of the Hidden Leaf. I'll be taking my leave now."

She then walked out of the room and closed the door.

_Remember your true objective..._

She quickly jumped out of the building with a smirk now present on her face. A red-haired male wearing a hooded black cloak suddenly appeared besides her. The male's eyes gleamed purple as he looked at Konan.

"Are they aware of my presence?" he asked softly.

"No. You're lucky to have slipped through Konoha's surveillance so easily," the blue-haired woman replied.

"I suppose so..."

"Now then, shall we begin Lord Gyatsō's secret mission... Nagato?"

The red-haired male's Rinnegan darkened in colour as he nodded at his accomplice. He smiled gently as he then pulled the hood off.

"If we fail, Gyatsō will have us killed. In order to get what we want, his plan comes first. Keep that in mind, Konan," Nagato replied.

Konan also smiled as the wind picked up her long blue hair.

_We better get a move on. Lord Gyatsō is __waiting._

After ensuring that there was nobody around, she ran forward. Nagato followed behind her.


	11. The Secret Mission Starts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unbeknownst to Sasuke and Nori, Konan is in cahoots with Nagato, the former leader of the now-disbanded Akatsuki. On their way to the warehouse, she explains their true mission, as well as what she can about the mysterious man behind it, Gyatsō.

Konan and Nagato continued to run forward. Nagato looked at his partner for a while before speaking.

"Konan," he had said.

"Hm?"

"You never told me what task Lord Gyatsō gave you. Would you mind telling me about it?" he asked. Konan lightly sighed and looked back to Nagato, slowing down her pace to match his own.

_Why__ didn't __Hikari__ inform him about the mission?_

"Well, Lord Gyatsō told me what to specifically do, but not any additional information regarding it. But I _have _made an assumption based on his actions," she replied.

"That's good enough. Tell me."

Konan nodded and looked ahead.

"I overheard Sasuke Uchiha mentioning two Akatsuki members. They're our priority here because Lord Gyatsō has all of the Akatsuki members' DNA research safely stored," said Konan. Nagato lightly chuckled, believing such information to be useless.

"What of it?" he asked.

"Since he has that data... he can enhance any of our DNA genetics with a certain method," the blue-haired woman replied.

"Enhanced DNA? If he gets such a thing, what will he do with it?" asked the red-haired male, raising an eyebrow. He was deeply curious as to what Gyatsō was plotting. The two Amegakure shinobi jumped over a large building before Konan replied.

"He fuses it with his own DNA and gains the shinobi's jutsu."

Nagato widened his eyes as he landed on the ground, jumping forward. Konan quickly appeared by his side.

"Why the hell would he do such a thing?! Wouldn't that severally infect his own body and kill him?!" Nagato gasped.

"With Hashirama Senju's cells within him now, Lord Gyatsō suffers no physical drawbacks from a fusion," Konan replied. Nagato looked down, gritting his teeth.

"Besides, he already successfully fused with one person before," she said. Nagato quickly looked up at her.

"With whom?"

Konan let out yet another sigh.

"Hikari never tells you anything... Lord Gyatsō fused with an artificial human being that he created a long time ago. The man's name was Doctorisha, and he was the first to join his organisation, the Osore." Nagato slightly tilted his head.

"Fusion grants him the jutsu of those he fused with, correct? So what jutsu did Gyatsō gain from fusing with this.. Doctorisha?"

"The legendary Wood Style jutsu, along with the advanced Rinnegan dojutsu."

Nagato slowly shook his head in disbelief, even more puzzled.

_I don't know what Gyatsō is planning behind all this, _he thought. _I_ _doubt_ _any_ _of_ _us_ _do__._

"That man has lost his sanity," he sighed out. Konan squinted her eyes a little as she looked forward. They were approaching the large warehouse in which the reanimated shinobi were summoned.

"The warehouse is ahead. If what Sasuke said was true, and the reanimations haven't been defeated, Itachi and Deidara should still be up there," she said, eyeing the significantly large warehouse.

"Who will you attack?" Nagato asked.

"The stronger of the two, Itachi Uchiha," she replied. 

Nagato nodded as he now began to slow down. Konan turned her head to talk to him as she kept her fast pace.

"Stay here for a short while, Nagato. I'll call you when ready to attack the target," she said, running into the warehouse. Nagato stopped at the entrance and closed his eyes. Tossing her black robes to the side, Konan walked up the stairs that led to the roof.

Before she jumped onto the roof, she widened her eyes as she watched a white-haired male shove a hand full of electricity into Deidara's chest. After a few moments of silence, she finally walked onto the roof.

Itachi turned his head to look at her, his Sharingan activating as a quick precaution.

_Is that... __Konan__? __What__ is she doing here?_

Kakashi also looked back to the blue-haired woman.

"Stop right there. Who are you?" he demanded.

Konan held her arm out. A paper origami formed on her right hand. 

"My name is Konan. The Sixth Hokage sent me here to assist you," she replied.

_J__ust__ as expected, Itachi is still here. I might as well gain that Leaf ninja's trust before I kill him._

The origami on her hand would then suddenly form into several paper needles. Sliding her foot on the ground, Konan tossed the needles into the air before catching them. With great speed, she threw them towards Itachi.

Itachi silently took out a kunai before dashing forward, swinging the kunai around with swift hand motions to strike the needles away.

"So you left the Akatsuki after my death," he said.

"She's an Akatsuki?!" gasped Kakashi. Konan gritted her teeth as she looked over to the white-haired male.

_It seems like I've been figured out, _she thought.

"Nagato!" she yelled out.

Within moments, Nagato jumped onto the roof and landed next to Konan. Itachi slightly opened his mouth in surprise and stared at him. Nagato slowly walked forward, his Rinnegan looking into Itachi's Sharingan. The redhead then stopped and lightly smiled at the rapt male.

"It's been a long time, Itachi Uchiha."


	12. Itachi's New Resolve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before Nagato engages Itachi in battle, the Rinnegan-bearing man explains a little about Konan's role as a double-agent for himself and the man named Gyatsō, as well as their position in a new organisation called the Osore. Itachi takes it upon himself to rid the world of Gyatsō and the Osore before they cause any further chaos.

"...Nagato Uzumaki, you seem quite different from the last time I saw you," said Itachi, taking note of Nagato's longer hair and older facial features. Nagato lightly chuckled at the Uchiha clan member's words.

"Many years have passed since your death, Itachi. Luckily for you, that time seems to have passed instantaneously," Nagato responded.

"I suppose you're right, but don't forget I'm no pushover. _This_ is the day you will perish," said Itachi.

"Until Gyatsō Mataba's plan is complete, I refuse to die."

"Gyatsō Mataba? I'm afraid I don't know him. But of all people, Nagato, I never expected _you _to have a superior," said Itachi. Nagato took a step forward, using a hand to brush strands of hair off his face.

"Gyatsō isn't my superior. Since you'll be returning to the afterlife momentarily, I'll send you off with this small bit of information. Konan works for me personally, but she's also a member of Gyatsō's organisation, the Osore. So she's under his order as well," Nagato explained.

"If he has an organisation, does that mean there are more of you?" Itachi asked.

"Of course there are."

"And how many more of you are there?"

"Did you really think I'd answer that, Itachi?"

Itachi's Sharingan slowly evolved into the Mangekyou as he began to channel a small amount of chakra into his hand.

_ Orochimaru will not make me one of his pawns again. I have my own place in this world once more__, _he thought as he performed a single hand sign.

"Now it's time... for the Kotoamatsukami!"

A black crow would emerge from Itachi's stomach. Its left eye had the legendary Shisui Uchiha's Mangekyou Sharingan implanted into it. The crow's eye gleamed a bright red that shined throughout the area. Nagato, Konan, and Kakashi all winced as a result.

Itachi's eye sclera lightened and returned to normal soon after.

"So it really _has _been over ten years since I died," Itachi said to himself.

Nagato crossed his arms with disappointment as he smirked at the black haired shinobi.

"Kotoamatsukami enables one to control the actions of another person involuntarily. I'm assuming you just made Orochimaru release his control over your body, but it's _futile_. Even if you're free from his control, the end result won't change."

Suddenly, Haku and the Third Hokage's eyes gleamed white as their bodies fell apart before disintegrating. Konan ignored this and looked at Kakashi.

_ So__, _she thought._ It looks like __Orochimaru__ deactivated the ___reanimation___._ _I knew it, he wanted Itachi to use this technique! Someone from Osore is watching us and reporting to __Orochimaru__ at the same __time__. Now Lord __Gyatsō's__ plan can carry out easily_.

Kakashi held his arm out in front of his body, electricity sharply pulsating from it. The electricity formed into a long line and quickly shot towards her. Konan dashed out of the way to evade it.

The ANBU captain then moved his hand to the right, which redirected the electricity to Konan's new position and struck her through the chest. On impact, Konan's body turned into multiple sheets of paper, flying towards Kakashi. Kakashi's eyes widened as the paper wrapped around his body, stopping his movement.

"What type of jutsu is this?!" he gasped out.

A swarm of paper formed above Kakashi, morphing into a sharp blade.

"Shikigami Dance!"

The blade pierced Kakashi through the chest with increased velocity and impact. The paper around his body fell apart and disintegrated as he crashed against the roof. Blood leaked from his wound and splattered on the stone below.

Nagato crossed his arms, still smirking as he looked over to Itachi.

"You're the only one left, Itachi. Either come with us peacefully or be incapacitated," he said. Itachi took a step forward, scoffing at him.

"We both know neither will happen," he replied.

Suddenly, Nagato appeared in front of the Uchiha clan member.

"Fine, then."

He quickly pulled out a black chakra rod and stabbed Itachi in the stomach. Itachi's body morphed into several crows on impact and flew back. They came close together until Itachi reappeared.

"Gyatsō Mataba won't be having his way with me. I'll find him, and I'll destroy him..."

He then vanished out of thin air. Almost immediately after, Nagato winced as he felt something stab his chest.

He looked down to see a kunai jabbed into it. His eyes widened as he realised the kunai was engulfed in black flames. He quickly looked up to see Itachi now standing in front of him with only one eye open. A streak of blood was already running down his right eye.

"Along with anyone that works for him."

Nagato opened his mouth and shrieked loudly as the black flames quickly engulfed his body. Konan opened her eyes wide as she began to dash towards her injured superior.

"NAGATO!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Suddenly, a considerable amount of sand wrapped around her, stopping her in her tracks. Gaara stood before her with his hand extended. Konan gritted her teeth as she looked back at him, agitation present on her face.

"How could I forget about this one?!" she yelled out furiously.

"Sand Coffin!" yelled Gaara.


	13. Death of an Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Itachi swiftly dispatches Nagato, Konan is also caught off-guard, ambushed by Gaara's terrifying Sand Burial jutsu.

Gaara slowly walked towards Konan's immobile body as he rose his arm. The blue haired kunoichi writhed as her assailant manipulated the sand to levitate. It stopped when it was up in the sky, a few grains of sand falling to the ground. Konan gritted her teeth as she looked down at Gaara, struggling to move even her feet.

_Damnit__, __at__ a __time_ _like__ this__?! If I don't act soon, __N__agato_ _is_ _going_ _to__..._

"Sorry, but I can't allow you to hurt any more of my comrades. I'll be the one ending you right here," said the red-haired man. He then clenched his hand into a tight fist, further manipulating the sand around Konan's body.

"Sand Burial!"

The sand suddenly imploded around Konan's body with devastating force. Konan let out a pained exhale as she felt her own bones snapping like twigs. Some of her blood landed on the sand and leaked onto the ground. Gaara scoffed before lowering his arm, which caused the sand around the woman's body to return to his gourd.

Falling out of the sky, a fair amount of paper stretched from Konan's body before a clone of herself formed. Gaara gasped as the clone quickly wrapped around him with a smirk on its face. His eyes widened as he immediately noticed a lit paper tag placed on its chest.

"Stay out of my way," the clone mumbled out. A sudden explosion then engulfed the clone and Gaara, greatly injuring the latter.

The real Konan crashed onto the ground in a wounded and bloody heap.

_I can't __move_ _at__ all, _she thought. _My__ entire body has been crushed by that jutsu._

An unknown figure stepped next to her body. Konan looked up to peer into the blue eyes of a male with long, blonde hair. His ocean coloured eyes glistened in the light. His cloak, that looked just like Konan and Nagato's, was only buttoned halfway. His free hand, which was wrapped up in fabric tape, rested on his hip.

"I should've known you couldn't take Itachi down, Konan," the male sighed out. Konan slightly frowned at the male.

"Hikari... why are you-"

"Lord Gyatsō gave me a task to complete as well. Since you and Nagato can't finish your own, I'll handle it," Hikari replied. He then walked towards Itachi with his eyes closed. Itachi deactivated his Mangekyou Sharingan before even his Sharingan deactivated. His onyx coloured eyes inspected Hikari closely.

"And just who may you be?" he asked.

Hikari unbuttoned his cloak the rest of the way, revealing a large pouch strapped to his waist.

"I am Hikari Notori, a member of the Osore. Lord Gyatsō has plans for you, Itachi Uchiha. As such, I won't waste any time dealing with you. Your defeat will be in an instant," Hikari replied, slowly opening his eyes. Itachi gritted his teeth, taking out a kunai.

_So he's a__nother__ one of __Gyatsō's__ followers... I'll have to elimin__ate him as __well__, _he thought as he rushed forward.

Hikari also rushed forward. Itachi performed multiple hand signs before putting a hand in front of his mouth.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

The black haired male blew out a large fireball that rushed towards Hikari. The blonde haired male chuckled to himself as he, too, performed hand seals. Itachi studied his assailant's hands in confusion as he never saw such a sequence before.

_And now, the __K__oroshimasu__, _Hikari thought.

A yellow aura suddenly engulfed his body before he disappeared.

"What?!" gasped Itachi.

Itachi's eyes then widened as a reappeared HIkari jabbed a needle deep into his neck. The Uchiha clan member's vision became lost as he fell to his knees, staring at the ground with disbelief.

_It's_ _not_ _possible__,_ he thought. _I didn't even sense his __chakra..._

When Itachi's body fell to the ground, he was already unconscious. Hikari stood over Itachi's body with a smirk on his face.

"You underestimated one of Lord Gyatsō's strongest subordinates. _Now_ look at you," he said. He then looked over to Konan before appearing above her.

"I wonder why you couldn't defeat Itachi as easily as I did, Konan," he teased.

"Are you leaving?" Konan asked faintly, blood still pooling out of her body. Hikari took a step back to avoid the red liquid touching his feet.

"...You want me to take you back to Lord Gyatsō, but it's pointless. You'd be dead by the time we make it back. You know that," replied Hikari as he took out a kunai. Konan stared at the light glistening from the blade as tears began to sting her eyes.

"I... just wanted to see him one more time," said Konan. Hikari nodded at her with a gentle smile.

"I understand that. But you're in agonising pain right now, I'm sure of it. I'll end it all here," he said. He then knelt over her with the kunai just above her neck.

"Very well," said Konan.

_I couldn't save my parents... the original __Akatsuki__... or my only two friends. Those are the pains you're ending by killing me,_ _Hikari__. And for that, I... I...  
_

"Konan, as a fellow member of the Osore, I commend you for your loyalty towards Lord Gyatsō. Both you and Nagato have been viable assets for the organisation. With that, I bid you farewell."

..._I thank you, friend._

Hikari would then close his eyes before bringing the kunai down as hard as he could.


	14. Hikari Notori of the Osore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After retrieving Konan's corpse and Itachi's unconscious body, Osore member Hikari Notori thinks of the numerous events from his past that led him to where he is now.

Hikari slowly opened his eyes, looking at Konan's now motionless body.

"To think that the _most_ gentle of these people would be the one striking his comrades down," he sighed to himself. The soft wind moved his long hair to the side as he picked up Konan's body.

"It'd be foolish of me to leave her corpse here.. I might as well do as she wished and take her back to the hideout." He then performed a few hand seals.

"Supido Ninja Art: Shokan."

A tall, moist, white wall would rise from the ground. After a few seconds, it formed into a clay model that resembled a large bird. Hikari walked up to the model and placed Konan's body on its back. He also picked up Itachi's unconscious body, setting it inside of the bird's beak. He then carefully sat next to Konan's body before the model began to walk forward. It soon broke into a run before jumping high, spreading its wings.

"Up we go.."

Hikari performed a single hand seal, with the model now flying. Closing his eyes again, sudden thoughts of his past flooded his mind.

. . . .

"Hey, Hikari, let's go out and explore some more!"

"Yeah, c'mon Hikari!"

"Hikari!"

"Hikari!"

The blonde haired male saw a much younger version of himself surrounded by several children. All of them, including himself, were wearing Hidden Stone headbands.

He recognised this to be the day they all left the village in search of an adventure. Little did he know at the time, it was going to get all of them attacked.

"Okay, guys," the younger Hikari started, smiling at his fellow Genin.

"I know a way out of the village. Follow me."

Just hours later, they found themselves to be approached by Orochimaru, who has just slaughtered all of the children in seconds. Hikari was still alive and well, as he actually managed to defend himself against the Sannin for a while longer.

Hikari wiped away his tears as he trembled, almost dropping the kunai that he was holding.

"E-everyone's dead... who are you?! ...Answer m-"

"Hehehe... Striking Shadow Snakes!" interrupted Orochimaru, who was now lifting up his arm.

"Please... don't kill me!" Hikari cried out.

"Now why would I hurt such an interesting child? To kill you would be such a waste. No, you're coming with me," replied the Sannin with a wide smirk on his face.

"W-what did you say?"

"Hikari Notori... I said you're coming with me."

The next flashback Hikari saw was when he escaped Orochimaru's clutches after developing the Supido style. Orochimaru's experiments were a success, as Hikari was now able to utilise a secret ninjutsu technique that allowed him to implement his aura into jutsu.

"Hey!! Get back here, subject number 2051! You're not going anywhere!" one of the guards yelled at the slightly older Hikari, who was fleeing the hideout. Hikari turned his head to reply to him.

"Yes I am. I'm leaving you people with what you gave me. For too long, that freak experimented on me! I'm done with you all! If you come any closer, I'll kill you!" he yelled back.

"For betraying Lord Orochimaru, you'll die a painful death. Attack!" another guard yelled. A sudden plethora of Hidden Sound guards appeared on all sides, closing in on Hikari.

_ I_ _don't want to use what __Orochimaru__ gave me, but I will if I want to survive... __since_ _that's_ _the_ _case__..._

"DIE!"

"Supido... Uratorasonikku ebu!!"

The next flashback to enter Hikari's mind was when he first met Gyatsō Mataba, the leader of the Osore. Hikari had just returned to the Hidden Stone after escaping Orochimaru's hideout. However, the villagers harassed and attacked him for being with Orochimaru. He was branded as a traitor.

"Tell me, Hikari. What do you want to do in this world?" Gyatsō asked him.

"...I don't know, Gyatsō," Hikari timidly replied.

"Join me. With your help, I can create a new world. Your village abandoned you... they _betrayed_ you for something that wasn't your fault. Do you not wish to show them just _what_ they abandoned and betrayed?"

"I..."

"We're wasting our time with this guy, Lord Gyatsō. I say we should just kill him," said a black-haired male that was standing next to Gyatsō. He was another one of his subordinates.

"Silence, Zuko. This decision is Hikari's, and his alo-"

"I want to show them... to show these Hidden Stone bastards what they created! I'll join you only if I can show the Stone what true betrayal is!" Hikari yelled as tears began to sting his eyes. Gyatsō smiled at the boy as he placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You made a great choice, Hikari. I welcome you to the Hidden Dark Nation. Zuko, take Hikari back to the hideout."

"Yes, Lord Gyatsō."

The final flashback Hikari saw was when he was on his first mission as a member of the Osore. He was to capture one of Gyatsō's former subordinates, who betrayed him and escaped to the Hidden Cloud. Hikari quickly found him thanks to his Supido style.

"My name is Hikari Notori. I'm a servant to Lord Gyatsō, whom you betrayed. One day, I plan on returning to the Hidden Stone only to show them what I really am. Yes, it's true that Orochimaru gave me some of his power, but it is _I_ who serves Lord Gyatsō. Anyone who gets in the way will be destroyed, courtesy of the Osore. Fear us," he said to the bald shinobi that was crossing his arms.

"Hikari Notori, huh? I don't care about any of that shit you just said, you're a dead man for coming to me. Water Style...Water Dragon Jutsu!"

_ Your__ defeat will be in an instant... __Supido__: __Tengoku__ no __Akuma_ _Suraisu_.

_. . . . _

Hikari opened his eyes as the bird flew faster. He looked to his side to look at Konan's body once more. He lightly touched her cold cheek, shedding a tear for his fallen comrade.

_ Konan__... if only you suffered as much as I did. __Maybe_ _you_ _wouldn't_ _have_ _ended_ _up_ _like_ _this__. __If_ _only__..._

Suddenly smiling to himself, he looked up to the sky as the wind blew his hair back.

"If only."


	15. Konoha's Investigation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To her shock, Sixth Hokage Nori learns of both Konan's betrayal and Nagato's presence in the village by a returning ANBU Black Ops squad. Quickly growing suspicious of an impending threat to the village, she orders a large-scale investigation to be held.

Nori Senju slammed her fist against the table. The windows behind her slightly cracked once more before shattering. Shizune panicked as she hurried to pick up the glass fragments.

All twelve of the ANBU Black Ops members in front of her had their masks off and their heads down. Their captain, Hideo Sarutobi, squinted a little. Sweat ran down the man's forehead.

"How the _hell_ could you all just let this happen?!" Nori boomed loudly. Hideo bowed his head at the Hokage.

"Lady Hokage, please forgive us. When we arrived at the warehouse, we couldn't do anything. The enemy had disappeared, and all we managed to retrieve were Gaara and Kakashi's unconscious bodies," he replied. Nori frowned widely and gritted her teeth in anger.

"If the enemy disappeared, why didn't you tell your backup squad to track them?!"

"There were complications along their way..."

"Like _what?!_"

"Well... a sudden bomb exploded and incapacitated the backup squad on their way to the warehouse. We ourselves found no trace of any enemy in the village, so we don't know who could have placed any bomb there. Somehow, the enemy knew they were coming, milady," Hideo replied.

Nori rose her fist, ready to slam it into desk again with utter frustration.

"And where the hell is Konan?!"

". . ."

"_Well?!_ Where is she?! She was supposed to aid Kakashi and Gaara before you all arrived!" the woman yelled.

"Lady Hokage... when Kakashi awoke, he told us that she was on the enemy's side, and that she's the one who defeated Gaara and himself. He also told us that Nagato Uzumaki was there, assisting her in her attack against our shinobi."

Nori's eyes widened.

"She _what?!_ I never knew that she was... Damn it all!" She slammed her fist into the table again, cracking it.

Sasuke suddenly appeared next to her, grabbing her wrist.

"Stop it."

The ANBU members immediately pulled out their weapons and surrounded Sasuke

"Bastard! How dare you treat the Hokage like that?! We should kill you for treason!" yelled one of them. Shizune quickly stepped in front of Sasuke to separate him from the angry men.

"Let's all calm down, please! He was just trying to help," she told them reassuringly. The ANBU members slowly lowered their weapons, looking at Nori. Hideo looked over to Nori.

"Are you alright, Lady Hokage?" he asked. Nori sighed and nodded. Sasuke backed up, bowing his head.

"Sorry. But yelling and hitting everything in sight won't help us at all," he said.

Nori touched her wrist and looked over at Sasuke, nodding.

"You're right, Sasuke. We should all know by now that there's something going on here that's more than Orochimaru's games. I just want to know what _that _is."

Hideo nodded in agreement.

"I want the same thing. If Konan and Nagato were working for someone, who could it be? Orochimaru?" he asked.

"That's not likely, the Akatsuki has nothing to do with him anymore. Besides, we can't even verify that those two work in the Akatsuki anymore," Sasuke replied.

"Then it's settled. I want all of you to investigate around and outside of the village. There's something going on that's more than what it seems to be, and we need answers now," said Nori.

Sasuke along with the ANBU members nodded at the Hokage.

"Hideo, both you and Sasuke will be the captains of this squad. At least 50 more of our ANBU will be joining you shortly. The rendezvous point will be in the Forest of Death. Once everyone is accounted for, search around the village. I want _every _single leaf checked until we find something. Is that understood?" she asked.

"Yes, Lady Hokage!" The ANBU said in unison before leaving in a puff of smoke. Sasuke stood there, smirking a little.

"To organise a squad this big must mean that this is very serious, Lady Nori."

Nori smiled before biting her fingernail just as her mother would.

"The safety of the village is at stake. As the Hokage, I have to ensure the village is prepared for anything, Sasuke Uchiha. Now go," Nori replied.

Sasuke nodded before quickly leaving the room. Shizune sighed out as she calmed her breathing.

"Lady Nori, ever since you became Hokage, nothing but trouble has-"

Nori stood over the shorter woman and cracked her knuckles.

"What are you saying, Shizune?" she asked rigidly, a vein showing on her forehead. Shizune laughed both hysterically and nervously as she bent down, picking up more glass.

"N-nothing ma'am!"

Nori sat back into her seat, crossing her arms.

_I have no idea what's exactly going on __here__, but Konoha is ready._


	16. His Name is Gyatsō Mataba

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hikari finally arrives at a large cave, where a masked man is already waiting for him.

Hikari waited in silence as the bird model slowly flew down, squawking loudly. He looked down to eye a masked man standing next to a cave's entrance. The man was wearing Tobi's mask - an orange mask covered with a spiral pattern originating from one eye hole. He was also wearing the cloak Osore members appeared to wear normally.

_ Seems like he was expecting me,_ Hikari thought as the bird soon landed on the ground. The masked man's eyes were staring at Konan's corpse. Hikari jumped off the bird before respectfully bowing to the man.

"Hikari, welcome back. Konan is alive but unconscious, yes?" asked the masked man. Hikari rested his arm behind his head.

"Actually, she's dead," Hikari replied.

"Ah... and the cause of death?"

"I killed her. She was in deep pain after the battle, so I ended that pain by killing her."

The masked man crossed his arms and let out a gentle sigh.

"I would have told Konan myself that she fought well. But since she's dead now, I won't mutter a word about it," he replied. Hikari nodded in agreement. The masked man then looked over to Itachi's motionless body.

"Anyway, I see the Akatsuki member that was apprehended was Itachi Uchiha... Orochimaru knows me well."

"What do you mean?" asked Hikari.

"Orochimaru is working with me for the upcoming war. Which reminds me, did you complete what I told you to do?"

"Yes, I planted multiple bombs inside the village. With my Supido style jutsu, I did it without being sensed. I believe that one of them detonated when a Konoha ANBU squad was going to the warehouse," replied Hikari.

"Once I fuse with Itachi, set off the remaining bombs. Orochimaru's Hidden Sound shinobi along with my own Hidden Dark forces will attack the village and take control of it. In this war, I shall be revealed as a God who will solely rule over the Land of Fire... and then, one by one, the rest of the Five Great Nations will fall before my might."

Hikari smirked a little, bowing his head once more.

"I'll gladly die if I'll be able to be used by you. I'll always be at your side to see you become just that, Lord Gyats-"

The masked man suddenly grabbed Hikari by the throat and held him up until his feet were hanging in the air. Hikari choked as he kept his arms at his side, not resisting the attack.

"_Never_ call me by my name when I wear this mask. Do you understood me, Hikari?" the masked man demanded. Hikari looked the shinobi in the eyes as he opened his mouth.

"I do," he had answered.

The man released Hikari's neck as he began to lightly chuckle to himself.

"Good. Now take Itachi to the gathering lair. When our little Uchiha friend wakes up, I'll talk to him before fusing."

Hikari rubbed his slightly bruised neck, looking down.

"Yes, my liege."

Hikari then performed a sequence of hand seals. The large cave entrance behind Gyatso slowly slid to the side, revealing a tunnel. The bird model walked into the tunnel with Hikari walking behind it.

"Are you coming?" asked Hikari, looking at Gyatsō.

"I will, momentarily. Go on without me."

Hikari shrugged his shoulders and continued to walk forward. The cave slid back to its original place after he disappeared into the darkness. Gyatsō closed his eyes as he rested his hand on his mask.

A few seconds later, he unhooked the straps that were attached onto the mask, slowly lifting it off his face. He appeared as a skinny male with pale skin, moppy white hair, and red eyes. His crimson pupils looked into the sky as he smirked widely. The wind fiercely blew his pure white hair back.

S_oon... yes, so soon. I'll become a god of war.__  
_


	17. The Osore Organisation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inside the cave, Hikari is approached by another member of the Osore. A short scuffle breaks out between them, and more and more members of the Osore start popping up. Including a strong young man with a mysterious dojutsu.

Hikari sighed to himself as he sat down, laying against a hollow wall in the large gathering area of the cave. Another male revealed himself and walked towards him. He was wearing the same cloak as Hikari.

He had shoulder-length green hair that covered his left eye, with eyes that were roughly the same colour. His pale skin slightly glared as he stood in the light. Hikari looked up at him before looking back down.

"Do you need anything, Sebbech?" Hikari asked him.

Sebbech lightly smiled at him as he pressed his fingers together.

"Hide told me about what you did to Konan. Now answer me this," he started. He then gripped him by the collar of his unzipped cloak, gritting his teeth.

"Was it _really_ fucking necessary for you to kill her yourself?" he demanded. Hikari closed his eyes, not answering the green-haired male.

_ This anger of yours is pointless, _he thought. _S__ebbech_... _out of any of us, you know how cruel the end of our lives will be. Don't __speak_ _to_ _me_ _with_ _such_ _condescendence__._

Sebbech squinted at Hikari, staring at him.

"So you want to ignore me? Okay, then, you little piece of dog shit..."

He slowly backed up before throwing his fist forward, smashing it into Hikari's face. Hikari immediately lowered himself onto the floor, throwing his left leg forward to strike Sebbech in the jaw. Sebbech gritted his teeth in anger as his now bloody fist rested on Hikari's face. Hikari's foot was still on Sebbech's face as well.

For a few seconds, the two men stared eye to eye with each other.

"Both of you, just stop. Nagato and Konan are dead, but there are still five of us that are of use to Lord Gyatsō," said a new feminine voice.

Soon after, a woman with long, orange hair appeared in front of them. Her cloak, unlike the others', was only pulled up to her waist, exposing her upper body. She wore a pink, long-sleeved vest for her top. Her light blue eyes rested on Hikari, her hands resting on her hips. She gritted her teeth a little,

_ Hikari__, you bastard. __Get your fucking hands off of __God_...

A few moments later, Sebbech jumped from his position, landing away from the two Osore members. He then wiped his bruised cheek as he made a sad face.

"Huh... it seems as if this always happens, Seiko. My apologies. You as well, Sebbech."

Hikari crossed his arms before fake-laughing.

"Don't mind it, Sebbech. The only thing I care abo-"

A black-haired male wearing the Osore cloak suddenly appeared in front of Hikari, placing a hand on the blonde man's shoulder. His face looked considerably younger than everyone else's.

His hair was covering his eyes, but he didn't seem to mind it at the moment. The male slightly smirked to himself.

"Seiko, you just said that we five are all of use to Lord Gyatsō. The truth is, you all know that he favours me the most. I'm as close to him as a son. Don't forget the eyes," said the male. He then swept his hair away from his face to reveal his eyes.

The boy's irises were crimson red with two black lines intersecting over them to form a cross. It appeared to be a visual jutsu like the Sharingan or Rinnegan.

Hikari sighed again as a line of blood now ran down his injured nose.

"Zuko, I'm aware of your Shaolin, but don't go amusing yourself like this."

Zuko smiled at Hikari as he looked into his blue eyes. The black crosses on his eyes began to slowly spin.

"You should speak to me with a little more _respect_, Hikari... as we also know that I'm the strongest Osore member, other than Lord Gyatsō himself. If I felt the need to, I could kill you with just this," he started.

He unzipped the top of his cloak to reveal his bare neck. A curse mark that appeared as a black cross rested on the side of it. The cross would then glow orange-red and spreading across his skin as various lines.

Hikari began to sweat, feeling the powerful chakra the young man possessed. Zuko's smirk widened as his right Shaolin eye grew more intersecting lines to form six in total. The iris was now also orange-red.

"And with my Mūgetsu Shaolin, I can finally surpass Lord Gyatsō."

Sebbech immediately lifted his arm. Zuko choked as his body slowly levitated into the air. The green haired Osore member looked at the younger male with anger.

"Never compare your power to Lord Gyatsō's, Zuko Taisega. I'll kill you myself if you do it again."

Zuko looked into his eyes, gritting his teeth.

_ It seems that the power of the __Darkus__ Phantom __possessed__ me for a __second__. __I_ _should_ _use_ _my_ _curse_ _mark_ _smarter_ _than__ this__._

His Shaolin would return to normal as the marks on his skin retreated back to the seal on his neck. Sebbech smiled again, releasing his control over Zuko's body. The black haired male closed his eyes as he bowed his head.

"Sorry about that. I actually came here to inform you all that we're to move to the next hideout per Lord Gyatsō's orders. Orochimaru is waiting there for us now..."

Hikari, Sebbech, and Seiko nodded before they individually left the room. Zuko looked down and smiled to himself.

_ I guess __Konan__ really wasn't strong enough. Neither was _Nagat_o__._

He then looked up, his Shaolin blaring in the light.

_ But the last five of us are the __strongest_ _Osore_ _has__ ever __known__. Prepare your__self, Five Great __Nations__. The endless suffering __inflicted__ by your accursed system of __shinobi__ is going to come to a permanent end._

He then disappeared.

Almost immediately after, Gyatsō appeared in the room. He looked over to Itachi's still unconscious body as he put his mask back on. He then wrapped chakra suppressing rope around the male's body.

Gyatsō then walked to a large rock in the centre of the room, crossing his arms. Squinting a little, he looked back at Itachi's body.

_ You better wake up soon, Itachi. _


	18. Project Eyes of Immortality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now trapped inside the Osore's hideout, Itachi finally wakes up and meets a masked Gyatsō Mataba. Before their inevitable battle begins, the white-haired shinobi takes it upon himself to reveal his overall plan for world domination: "Project Eyes of Immortality."

After about twenty minutes or so, Itachi slightly opened his mouth as his body twitched. He didn't open his eyes, as he already sensed Gyatsō's presence in the room.

_It feels like something is tied around me. It's sealing my __chakra__, too. That __shinobi__, __H__ikari_ _Notori__,__ must have brought me here,_ he realised.

"I hope you enjoyed your nap, Itachi," said Gyatsō.

Itachi gasped and quickly opened his eyes, lifting his body to see a masked Gyatsō. After staring at him for a few moments, Itachi slightly frowned at him.

"So... you must be the one known as Gyatsō Mataba," said Itachi.

"Yes, I am Gyatsō. And you, my friend, better not even think of escaping. That rope around you seals chakra. You can't even activate your full Sharingan," said the white-haired male as he began to walk towards Itachi. The dark-haired shinobi lightly smiled at him.

"You underestimate me, Gyatsō. Before I break free, there's one thing I'm not sure of," he said.

"Oh?"

"Yes. Why do you wear that mask? One of the Akatsuki's members, Madara Uchiha, used to wear it. I don't believe you have any connection with Madara, so why are you wearing it?" the Uchiha clan member asked.

"What a stupid question. All masks are worn to protect one's identity, it's no different for me. In this mask, I am Atsu Tsukino, a Kumogakure shinobi who fled from his home village due to civil war," Gyatsō explained.

Itachi's smile then turned into a smirk.

"If that's your reasoning, then take it off. Show me the face of the man who claims he's going to defeat me," he said.

Gyatsō stopped walking. He was a few feet from Itachi's bound body.

"Hmph... I won't do it because you asked, I'm doing it to show you the source of my power."

Gyatsō would then slowly raise his hand to the mask, unhooking it before tossing it to the side. Itachi's eyes widened as he studied Gyatsō's young face, staring mostly at his peculiar eyes. He gasped in shock as he realised what they were.

_T__hose__ eyes.... those eyes!__ How could it be that he possesses the Shaolin?! _

Gyatsō smiled at him. His irises were red, with four short black lines on the top, bottom, left, and right of the iris, which formed an incomplete cross.

"Those eyes of yours-"

"I know you saw them before, Itachi. When you were a child. In the war, one of the men you saw die was a Taisega clan member. The Taisega clan's kekkei genkai, or at least one of them, died with him. That was his Shaolin. You never forgot the pattern of his eyes, did you?" asked Gyatsō.

Itachi gritted his teeth as he stared at Gyatsō.

"You must have good sources to be able to recall my own childhood."

Gyatsō chuckled at Itachi's comment as he began to walk again. His Shaolin gleamed off of the light from the room as he looked down to male, smiling widely.

"Before you die, I should inform you that these eyes are stronger than the Mangekyou Sharingan and the Rinnegan... combined. I suppose you can think of it as another reason why your Sharingan won't save you."

"I see that they're quite powerful, if you aren't bluffing, that is. What do you wish to accomplish with those eyes?" asked Itachi.

"All of my life's work has been dedicated to something I call... Project Eyes of Immortality. Due to my research, I learned that members of the Taisega clan are identical to those of the Senju clan."

"What do you mean?"

"The Taisega clan also originated from the sons of Hagoromo Otsutsuki, the Sage of Six Paths. Once the power of the Taisega clan merges with the Uchiha's, a new dojutsu will be unlocked. I named this dojutsu as the moonless eye of Shaolin, or rather, the Mūgetsu Shaolin. One of Osore's members, Zuko Taisega, can possess these eyes only when the full power of his curse mark is released," explained Gyatsō.

"And to get that power at your full disposal, you plan on using me for my Mangekyou Sharingan," said Itachi.

"That's right. I'll take your Mangekyou Sharingan to obtain the Mūgetsu. I will destroy the Five Great Nations and unify the world by forcing it into submission."

"If all you need is me and my Mangekyou Sharingan, why did you form the Osore? What is their true purpose?"

"The Osore's objective is simple, to serve me in any way for the upcoming war. Anything less is immediate death, to which they're aware of. They wish to end the suffering caused by the current system of shinobi and would gladly die to help me build a new world," the white-haired male replied.

_So they're pe__rsonal_ _bodyguards_ _then__, _Itachi thought. _N__o_ _different_ _from_ _Orochimaru's_ _Sound_ _Ninja_ _Five__._

"Including you as their leader, what is the Osore's plan? What does this organisation wish to accomplish?" he asked.

"To create a new world order. With my Mūgetsu Shaolin, I'll kill every Kage and rule the world as a god of war. Of course, we'll also take control over the smaller countries bordering the Five Great Nations... but to achieve all of this, I'll first be taking your power," said Gyatsō.

Suddenly, Gyatsō's vision turned to black and white. Swarms of black crows flew around him, squawking loudly.

"So, it appears that the Shaolin isn't immune to genjutsu," said one of the crows voiced as Itachi. Gyatsō chuckled to himself once more as he lowered his head and closed his eyes.

"Leave it to an Uchiha clan member to break a chakra sealing jutsu," he sighed out.

"Do you really think I'll allow you to destroy my home village?" asked the crow.

Gyatsō opened his eyes and smirked as he performed a single hand seal. The genjutsu deactivated immediately after.

Itachi was free from the rope and charging his chakra reserves, preparing for the inevitable battle that was about to unfold.

"Have it your way, Itachi Uchiha. Let's see if you can manage to escape from me," said Gyatsō. The lines across his Shaolin extended so that they formed a perfect cross, indicating it was now at its second and final stage.

Itachi's own eyes changed into the Sharingan before evolving into the Mangekyou Sharingan.

"Very well then... Amaterasu!"


	19. Gyatsō's Abilities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During his fierce battle with Itachi, Gyatsō demonstrates that he's certainly no pushover. However, Itachi still surprises the Osore leader with a few tricks up his own sleeve.

The incinerating black flames of Amaterasu appeared and quickly spread towards Gyatsō. The white-haired shinobi jumped up only for the flames to soon follow him.

"So you can control Amaterasu's path better? Very interesting," he said as he evaded the flames again. Itachi crossed his arms, watching the Osore leader closely.

_Using_ _genjutsu_ _such as __Tsukuyomi_ _can_ _help_ _right_ _now__, __but_ _even_ _though_ _the_ _Shaolin_ _is_ _not immune_ _to_ _genjutsu__, __he_ _can_ _easily_ _counter_ _it__. __I'll_ _have_ _to_ _use_ _ninjutsu_ _to_ _defeat__ him._

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

After performing multiple hand seals, Itachi blew out a ball of fire that dashed towards Gyatsō. Smirking, Gyatsō held a single arm out, opening his palm slowly.

"Almighty Push!"

_What__?! _Itachi thought.

A shockwave of air blew from Gyatsō position, which dispersed the fire on contact. Itachi gritted his teeth, more shocked than frustrated.

"You have the Rinnegan's abilities. Does this mean you possess power from _both_ the Senju and Uchiha clans?" he asked.

"Let's see now... I am in possession of Hashirama Senju's DNA, along with some your brother's DNA... so I suppose so," Gyatsō replied. He then disappeared.

Itachi gasped as he quickly looked around, searching for his new position. After a few silent moments, Gyatsō reappeared in front of Itachi, gripping his neck. Itachi choked as he tried to pry Gyatsō's hand away, but to no avail.

"This is an illusion in which your Sharingan can't counter. Genjutsu: Armageddon Chains," Gyatsō whispered out.

Itachi's vision faded before the world around him turned into vivid colours, confirming the fact that he was now trapped in a genjutsu. The crosses on Gyatsō Shaolin spun rapidly. Soon after, Itachi noticed that several chains were now spinning around him, matching the speed of crosses.

"You can _never_ beat my Shaolin, Itachi!" Gyatsō yelled at him.

The chains then snapped, all of them at once. In the genjutsu, Itachi's body snapped into several portions. Itachi groaned as he felt his own bones snapping into pieces, jabbing the inside of his body to cause massive internal bleeding.

"Tell me, Uchiha. How do you feel, now at my mercy?" he heard inside of his head. Gyatsō then deactivated the genjutsu.

Itachi's vision would return to normal as his body now shook. The white-haired male performed several hand seals.

"Time to end this. Don't worry though, I won't kill you. I need you alive and well in order to fuse with you and gain the Mūgetsu..." A small, black ball of mass appeared in his hands, its faint energy pulling in small rocks and debris.

Suddenly, a red aura consumed Itachi's body. Gyatsō quickly jumped back and frowned, looking up at him. The ball slowly disappeared as the red aura intensified. A skeleton then manifested from the aura. Itachi got to his knees, his body still shaking. He chuckled a bit.

"_You're_ the one who's finished, Gyatsō," he told him. Gyatsō rose an eyebrow.

"Oh, am I?"

The skeleton suddenly began to manifest armour, growing larger in the process. The red aura now covered the area as the armoured skeleton pulled out the Totsuka Blade from its gourd. It sliced at the air, which sent a shockwave in every direction.

Gyatsō squinted as he looked up, eyeing the Susano'o with a wide smirk.

Y_ou_ _had_ _this_ _up_ _your_ _sleeve__?! _he thought as his hair flew back wildly. _You_ _truly_ _are_ _the_ _one_ _worth_ _giving_ _me_ _the_ _Mūgetsu_ _Shaolin__! _

"Gyatsō Mataba! My Susano'o will put an end to you! With your death, your Project Eyes of Immortality will also come to an end!" Itachi yelled at him.

He then took a step forward, which caused the ground to rumble and crack. Gyatsō crossed his arms and laughed at his words.

"Even if you defeat me, it won't do you any good!" Gyatsō yelled back. He stood where he was, apparently unaffected by the situation he was in.

"Do you honestly believe foolish remarks like that will help you now? I'll show you that my Mangekyou Sharingan is not to be underestimated against a Shaolin, no matter the difference in their visual prowess!" said Itachi.

_I__t's_ _over_ _for_ yo_u__, __Gyatsō__. __This_ _is_ _the_ _Totsuka_ _Blade__!_

He sliced at the air once with the Totsuka Blade, which also slashed Gyatsō in the process. A few moments later, Gyatsō's body began to mold in the blade, as he was now being sealed inside of it. A short while later, he was completely sealed away.

Itachi lightly smiled as he dispersed his Susano'o. He then dropped onto his knees, breathing heavily.

"Damn that Orochimaru. This time, he didn't give us unlimited stamina in these bodies. I suppose he furthered the Reanimation jutsu even more than Kabuto had..."

A few seconds later, the sound of a person clapping loudly filled the room. Black and red fire then surrounded a surprised Itachi.

"I have to say, that battle certainly didn't bore me," said a younger male voice. Itachi looked ahead, eyeing someone cloaked in the darkness of the room. Only his Shaolin could be seen by him.

"Is that you, Gyatsō?! I thought I-"

"Oh, no, I'm not Lord Gyatsō. I am, however, the one who _will_ finish you here."

The male slowly walked into the light, a smile present on his young face.

"My name is Zuko Taisega," he said.

Itachi's eyes widened at the name and stared at him.

S_o h__e's __the_ _one_ _Gyatsō_ _told_ _me_ _about__. __The_ _Taisega_ _clan_ _member_ _who_ _can_ _already_ _use_ _Mūgetsu_ _Shaolin__. __I'll_ _have_ _to_ _be_ _even_ _more_ _cautious_ _when_ _dealing_ _with_ _this_ _one__._

"Unlike Gyatsō, you actually have the right to possess the Shaolin. As such, your visual prowess could very well be stronger than his," Itachi told the black-haired male.

Zuko crossed his arms as his Shaolin evolved into its second stage. Itachi stood up almost immediately afterwards, not lowering his guard.

"My visual prowess will never surpass Lord Gyatsō's, so you can stop with the flattery. Speaking of my lord, I should tell that you didn't defeat him," said Zuko. Itachi gasped before clenching his fists.

"What are you talking about? I just sealed him into an infinite world of genjutsu with the Totsuka Blade," he said.

Zuko began laughing uncontrollably as he clutched the right side of his face.

"With your Sharingan, I'm disappointed you didn't notice by now. What you _actually_ sealed was just a clone of Lord Gyatsō!"


	20. Two Prodigies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Itachi has no choice but to accept that he only defeated a weaker clone of the formidable Gyatsō Mataba. Now he must square off against the man's protégé, Zuko Taisega. As Zuko is a true inheritor of the Shaolin eyes, he proves to be quite a challenging opponent.

Itachi stared at Zuko, shocked at his words. He then gritted his teeth, dismissing them as lies.

"There's no possible way that was a clone," he told the black-haired male.

Zuko smiled again. His Shaolin blared in the light of the cave.

"You had a difficult time defeating it, but the sad reality is that the clone only received about 5/2000 of his power," he said.

Itachi shook his head, now debating to himself if Zuko's words held truth to them. Now that he thought about it, something did feel off about Gyatsō's chakra. 

"If what you're saying is true... that the clone is only 0.0025% of Gyatsō's true power... then I cannot defeat him on my own."

Zuko suddenly appeared in front of Itachi in an instant, grabbing him by the neck. Itachi widened his eyes, looking into Zuko's cold hues. 

"I'm glad you see the picture. However..."

Zuko's Shaolin then evolved into the Mūgetsu Shaolin. The multiple lines blazed as they began to spin. 

"With this, I'm even stronger..."

Itachi was pushed back by a gust of wind. He quickly recovered midair and landed on the ground, looking over to Zuko with gritted teeth.

_ I have to defeat this boy in order to pursue Gyatsō, even if I could be outmatched. _

Zuko appeared above Itachi, shoving his foot forward. Itachi gasped as he was kicked into the ground with devastating impact. 

The Taisega clan member then crawled onto Itachi's body, pinning him down with one hand. He lightly laughed, smirking down at him. 

"We can't have Lord Gyatsō fuse with a mere _Reanimation_, can we? That simply won't give him as much power compared to fusing with a live subject. You can thank me for fully returning you to life later, Itachi!" 

Itachi suddenly looked up at him, giving a slightly confused facial expression. 

_ What did he say?!_

Zuko began to perform hand signs with one hand as he laughed to himself. 

"That Nagato Uzumaki couldn't perfect this jutsu because he only had the Rinnegan... but my jutsu surpasses his with my Shaolin!"

He then slapped his hands together, completing the final hand seal for the technique.

"And now... the Perfected Art of Rinne Rebirth!"

After a few moments, the King of Hell rose behind Zuko. Itachi stared at the being, lightly gasping to himself. 

The Rinnegan-bearing figure opened its mouth. Green streams of light swirled rapidly inside of it. After a few moments, the light swirled out of its mouth and quickly crashed against Itachi's body.

Itachi clutched his chest as he looked around. His eye sclera slowly turned white, and the paper-like form of his body turned into flesh. He quickly jumped from under Zuko, continuing to jump back until there was a significant distance between the two shinobi.

The Uchiha clan member looked at his hand and slightly opened his mouth. 

"You..."

Zuko nodded and smiled widely at him.

"You're no longer under the Reanimation. I brought you back to life _only_ so Lord Gyatsō can receive the entirety of your powers," he said. 

Itachi scoffed before looking up. 

"I'm in full health, so my chances of defeating you significantly increased, Zuko Taisega. But about the technique you just used... I thought the Rinne Rebirth jutsu couldn't revive anyone who has been dead for so long," Itachi told him.

Zuko began to walk towards him.

"As I said, my Shaolin allowed me to perfect the jutsu. If only Orochimaru taught me the Reanimation... I could force you to fight your father. Perhaps your entire clan!"

Itachi gritted his teeth before dashing forward, performing multiple hand signs.

"Both you and your arrogance will fall here." 

He took out multiple shuriken and lit them on fire, throwing them at Zuko. Zuko jumped to the side, shaking his head with disappointment. 

Suddenly, Itachi appeared behind him, shoving a kunai forward. Zuko moved his hand to the side as he rose two fingers, seeming to plan Itachi's move. The kunai perfectly slid between his fingers without cutting them. 

Itachi quickly released the kunai and jumped up, grabbing onto Zuko's shoulder. He then applied his weight to it, swinging around as he pulled Zuko in the other direction to send him flying back. Zuko slid against the ground before slowly getting back onto his feet.

"That's the last time you touch me..."

He would then suddenly appear behind Itachi. Right when Itachi turned around, Zuko harshly kicked him in the chin to send him flying upwards. He then appeared next to Itachi's body, grabbing his arm before twisting it. This resulted in making his body spin. He then kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying downwards. 

_ He's too fast for me to make any counter, _Itachi thought.

Zuko appeared below Itachi, sending a punch to his spinal cord. He then grabbed his twisted arm, pulling him to the ground and pushing him forward. He continued to punch him in the back, each punch connecting in his spinal cord. After one last punch, he kicked him forward, sending Itachi sliding against the ground.

"Not bad, but not good enough, Zuko." 

Itachi's body soon morphed into crows, all of them quickly flying towards Zuko. The younger male took out a kunai and leaned forward, ready to attack in case they turned into shuriken.

"This trick is outdated, Itachi." 

The crows came together instead, until Itachi's body reappeared.

"I suppose it's time I use my full ability. If I have to..."

Zuko slightly frowned at him. 

"Go ahead and stop holding back, but it's pointless. You can't beat me. It's time you learned that my clan far surpasses yours!" 

Itachi gave a smile to the male as he walked forward. 

"Do your best to show me, Zuko Taisega. For I will see for myself how you compare to Gyatsō," he told him lightly. Zuko also walked forward, crossing his arms. He pulled off his cloak and threw it to the side. He wore a sleeveless light blue shirt with slightly darker shorts. The seal on his neck glowed red again. A few black marks already began to spread on his neck and arms.

"I have to thank you, though, as this battle will determine which clan is truly more powerful, Itachi. I wonder which clan has the superior visual prowess..."

The two shinobi took a final step forward, glaring at each other face to face. They were mere inches apart.

"Uchiha or Taisega?"


	21. The Current Shinobi World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief look into the lives of different shinobi around the world today. Itachi and Zuko also continue their intense battle.

A female with pale skin and long fuchsia hair tied back in a ponytail, a fringe covering her left eye, her eyes a shade of pale blue was walking in a deep forest. The wind gently blew her hair back, revealing a scar behind her right ear. This female, wearing a light pink kimono, suddenly stopped walking. The Kuraiya clan's symbol was on the back of the kimono.

The woman took a small breath as she extended her right hand. After gently cutting her hand with a blade, crimson red blood quickly came out of it in the form of a whip, which was now headed towards a tree. After quickly moving it side by side, and a faint groan was heard, the body of a tracking shinobi fell from the tree. His mask shattered apart, revealing a fresh slash to his neck. The woman sighed, lowering her hand.

"So... it seems like the Land of Lightning is still after me," she whispered softly, walking forward. Soon after, she stood at Kanabi Bridge. Very far ahead, she could see Iwagakure's entrance. She knew she was protected by the Land of Earth, as the Tsuchikage knew her. She walked forward until a small male with a cloth covering his eyes stopped in front of her, forming a smile. The Tsuchikage's hat was present on his head.

"Kaori Kuraiya. I was expecting you."

"Ah, yes... Lord Fifth."

"Please, just call me Owabi. You were a friend of my father, Onoki, so you're a friend of mine. Come. Everyone else is waiting for you."

"Right."

Somewhere in Sunagakure, a tall male with a white ponytail sat in a chair. Next to him stood a small girl, his granddaughter. The little girl clung onto the elderly man's leg, whimpering.

Outside of their house blew heavy sand, as the village was currently undergoing a sandstorm.

At the Kazekage's residence, Temari, who let her blonde hair straight down, stood by the window, looking outside. A female advisor with short, grey hair, stood behind her, holding a folder.

"Lady Temari, these are the reports sent back from the ninth of the squads dispatched earlier," she said.

The blond-haired Kazekage slowly moved her eyes from the window to her desk. The Kazekage's hat was on top of it. Also, next to it, was Kankuro's hat. It was a memento. A few years earlier, on an important mission, Kankuro was killed in a massive explosion along with twenty-seven others. News of the Kazekage's brother's death tore the village apart from the inside, allowing one of Osore's members, Hide, to slip inside of the village, stealing classified information. He also took the life of Temari's husband, Kichiro.

Temari turned around, giving her advisor a light smile. Taking the folder, she sat down, opening it.

"Thank you, Ayano. I'll review these immediately," said Temari. Ayano bowed before leaving the room.

"Water Style! Water Wall!" yelled a female's voice. It echoed from the training fields of Kirigakure. An adult girl with medium-lengthened blue hair thrust her arms forward, with a mass amount of water spiraling around her. Dozens of kunai bounced off this defence, all of them dashing in random directions. Former Mizukage, Mei, stood behind her with her arms crossed, watching.

A male, looking just like the woman but with shorter hair, stood some distance away, performing hand seals. He smiled and ran forward.

"Good form, Mya! Try this... Water Dragon Jutsu!"

A large line of water in the shape of a dragon formed in front of him, dashing towards the woman. The woman performed the same hand seals, smiling back. The Water Wall quickly morphed into a dragon, colliding with the boy's Water Dragon. Both were submerged with water, being blown back by the impact.

Now sitting on the ground, drenched, they laughed as they shook a little. Mei smiled warmly, walking to the Mizukage tower's entrance, waving for them to follow.

"Mya, Mio, that's enough training for now. Come along, Mya, you have important duties to fulfil as the Mizukage," she said, her long hair swaying in the wind. Her daughter, Mya, and son, Mio, quickly got up, following their elderly mother.

In Kumogakure, bolts of lightning scattered across a field. Killer B, now with a more masculine body tone, and short, fairly light blonde hair, pointed at a boy wearing a black cape. His brother, Ay, taught him lightning style jutsu a few months back. Now he was trying to perfect it.

"Hey, ya fool, ya fool! Think you can stop this next move?!" he snapped, the electricity pulsating from his body intensifying. The boy's adjusted the red shades on his face before putting his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah, just come at me, old man," he sighed out.

"Yo, here comes the killer Thunder Lariat, bro!"

Killer B appeared at the boy's side in almost an instant, delivering a massive clothesline to his neck. The boy smirked as he drew his head forward, his neck crystallizing. He headbutted B in the face, sending him back. B recovered, laughing.

"Nice hit, kid. How about one so fast it'll close ya lid?!" he said while wobbling around, confident with his verses. He never had stopped his rapping gimmick.

"Come on, old man. I don't got all day."

"Yeeeee! Thunder Lariat!"

Somewhere in the Land of Fire, the ground rumbled occasionally. Sounds of shuriken and kunai clashed against each other, the sound of feet pacing across the ground. In a large cave would be Itachi and Zuko, immersed in their battle.

Itachi appeared in front of Zuko, throwing a kick to his chest. Zuko would raise his arm, blocking it, before spinning around, bicycle-kicking him in the face. Itachi moved his head to the right and left as Zuko threw several quick punches while he was still in the air.

The Uchiha clan member gripped Zuko's arms as he landed on the ground, widening his eyes. His Mangekyou Sharingan blazed as Zuko stared back, smirking widely. They stood there, trying to overpower each other. Every time Itachi would push Zuko back a foot, he would push Itachi the same distance back.

After a while, they both jumped back, sliding on the ground. Itachi lowered his body, leaning forward. Zuko did the same as he closed his left eye.

"You're good, Itachi... _Very_ good. But it's not enough at all to defeat me!" said the younger black haired male.

Itachi ignored his comment and dashed forward. Zuko frowned before dashing forward as well.


	22. Darkus Phantom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Due to Zuko lowering his guard, Itachi manages to land a fatal blow on the Taisega clan member. However, a certain underlying power consumes the boy, a power that both saves his life and quickly turns the tides against Itachi.

The sound of kunai clashing against each other was heard as Zuko and Itachi quickly passed each other. Both of the shinobi stopped running as their backs were turned to each other. Moments of dead silence passed. 

Suddenly, Zuko fell to his knees as a large amount of blood ran out of his neck. His now bloodshot eyes widened as his hand smacked over the slash across his neck. Itachi turned around, smiling softly.

"Let's see how you solve that problem. Within a few minutes, you'll bleed out. As skilled as you were, you underestimated me and lowered your guard a single moment before the impact, resulting in what happened to you... You lose, Zuko Taisega."

Itachi's Mangekyou devolved into the normal Sharingan before deactivating. Zuko gritted his teeth as he coughed up blood before falling to the ground. More blood rushed out of his neck as his eyes slowly closed.

Suddenly, the cross on Zuko's neck pulsated before turning orange-red. Black markings quickly appeared all over Zuko's skin. Itachi gasped lightly before running over to Zuko's body, immediately taking note of the growing chakra he felt in the atmosphere._  
_

_ Gyatsō mentioned a curse mark, but he never told me how powerful this chakra would be! I'll have to quickly finish him off now._

Itachi then took out another kunai as he approached Zuko's body faster.

Zuko smiled against the ground as an ominous purple aura engulfed his body. The force of the aura cracked the ground below them and sent Itachi sprawling back. Debris flew everywhere.

The Taisega clan member's Shaolin slowly donned four more lines, resulting in a six-lined cross in both of his Shaolin. Nine black triangles spread around the crosses. He then slowly stood up.

Itachi squinted as his hair blew back due to the aura, noticing the wound on Zuko's neck was now completely healed. His hands clenched onto his sides, laughter ringing louder and louder with each passing moment. The aura grew stronger, caving the walls in. He then extended his hand, looking at it._  
_

_ Well, Mirage, you wanted me to use your power for so damn long... go ahead... release the full power of the Darkus Phantom!_

Zuko's hair colour quickly changed white as the aura boomed before turning into purple mists. Two black wings formed out of his back as he winced, his Mūgetsu Shaolin's irises turning into a dark red-orange. Itachi gasped at his abrupt transformation, now taking a step back. Fangs formed from Zuko's teeth as the purple mists turned black.

"I... am the Darkus Phantom!"

He arched his back as he roared loudly, rushing forward with intense speed.

Itachi opened his mouth as he coughed up blood. Zuko was already behind him, sending a heavy punch to his spine. Itachi's body flew forward as Zuko moved his arm back before slicing at the air, sending currents of visible, dark coloured chakra his way.

Itachi turned his body around as he rebounded midair, wincing at the pain to do so. The dark chakra dashed directly under him, barely missing him. Zuko appeared right under Itachi, pressing his palm against his back. Itachi's eyes darted below him as Zuko gripped Itachi's shirt, throwing him to the ground with brute strength. He stood over Itachi's weakened body, smirking widely.

"There's no way for me to lose when my mind is under Mirage's control! I'll give you tremendous pain before I defeat you in the end, sealing your fate with Lord Gyatsō's plan!" He roared, which cracked the ground even more. Another boom like this and the ground would surely give way. The crosses on Zuko's blazing Mūgetsu Shaolin spun quickly. Itachi darted up just in time.

"You think your Amaterasu is impressive? Here's my Ultimate Shaolin Art... of Catastrophic Hell Flames!"

Scorching red and black fire engulfed the place Itachi had quickly moved from. The heat emitted from the fire melted part of the ground completely. It then spread over to Itachi.

The Uchiha clan member jumped back, evading them. The hellish flames kept rushing forward. Itachi sweated quickly as he kept jumping back before backing up into a wall. He gritted his teeth as it now reached him and engulfed his body. He yelled loudly as he fell before stopping. The fire soon dispersed. Zuko sighed with boredom afterwards. He wasn't satisfied yet.

"Get up, Uchiha scum!! You can't be done y-"

Zuko was sent flying back as Itachi slammed his leg into his face with a frown. He then performed the hand signs for his Fireball jutsu repeatedly. He kept blowing out fireballs, each one bigger than the last, sending them straight at Zuko.

Itachi gritted his teeth as he panted quickly, knowing full well he just used up most of his chakra. Zuko completely stopped moving as the black mists coming from his body materialized into black chakra, appearing in front of his body. The fireballs smashed into the chakra before being absorbed. Zuko took several steps forward, laughing again.

_ Those masses of visible chakra, _thought Itachi. _They act similar to the Truth-Seeking Balls. Could it be possible that's the other Taisega kekkei genkai Gyatsō spoke of earlier?  
_

"Better yet, forget it! You're no fun anymore! Terribly sorry, Itachi Uchiha, but you were fucked since the start! _You _lose!!"

He appeared in front of Itachi and directed a devastating punch to the face. Itachi's eyes turned blank as he crashed onto the ground. 

The younger male then gripped Itachi's now torn cloak and pulled him up. The triangles on Zuko's eyes spun quickly as Itachi's vision turned to crimson red. The last sound Itachi heard was a soft chuckle echoing from an already disappeared Zuko.

Itachi looked around before falling to the ground, gritting his teeth.

"Ultimate Shaolin Genjutsu... Ecliptic Nightmare," the echo said softly.

Massive explosion after explosion boomed around the area before engulfing Itachi. The explosions continued, Itachi's remains being destroyed in the blasts. They grew even larger, destroying countries before large areas of the planet. The ground grew weaker before succumbing, the planet giving way and exploding. The genjutsu then ended.

In the real world, Itachi was unconscious. His chakra flow had completely stopped. Zuko sighed as his wings disappeared, his eyes and hair returning to normal. The black mists also stopped flowing from his body. The marks on his skin slowly retreated back to the cross on his neck before disappearing. Zuko covered his mouth as he coughed up blood, wheezing._  
_

_ It will surely take months before I can use this __form__ again and not die from it, _he thought._ But now that Itachi's defeated__, Lord Gyatsō, I shall bring you to you the key to ruling __this world!_

The black haired male put on another Osore cloak, pulling the hood on to cover most of his face. He then wiped the blood off his mouth before picking up Itachi's body, slowly walking out of the cave.


	23. The Intervention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Mirage's Curse Mark, Zuko has defeated Itachi and is relocating his body to a separate Osore hideout, where Gyatsō hungrily awaits... until a new redheaded foe stops the boy in his tracks.

Zuko continued to walk forward, Itachi's unconscious body slumped over his shoulder. It was now raining in the forest.

The young male let out a peaceful sigh as he threw Itachi to the ground, performing a single hand seal. He closed his eyes before the sound of Gyatsō's voice filled the area. Soon after, a hologram of Gyatsō appeared.

"What is it, Zuko?" he had asked. Zuko bowed respectfully before pointing to Itachi's body.

"Lord Gyatsō, Itachi Uchiha has been defeated. The battle we had was very interesting, to say the least," the dark-haired male chuckled out.

Gyatsō looked over to Itachi's body, his facial expression remaining blank.

"That surprises me not. Hide told me he felt his other side tingle a while ago. Since you both possess the power of the Darkus Phantom, I was sure you were using Mirage's power. Itachi simply isn't strong enough to defeat that power," Gyatsō sighed.

"Well, everything is said and done now. I'll return to the hideout everyone's at with the subject. I'm assuming that Hikari will detonate his bombs scattered in Konohagakure once the fusion is complete?" Zuko asked.

Gyatsō nodded, a slight smile on his face. His Shaolin eagerly evolved into its second stage, greedily wanting to evolve further into the Mūgetsu, but it will have to wait.

"Very soon, oh, so soon. I shall rise as a god. Your services and loyalty will grant you more than what you could imagine, Zuko," he said.

"Thank you, Lord Gyatsō. Signing off."

Zuko lowered his hands. The hologram of Gyatsō soon dispersed. He stood up and sighed loudly before turned around.

A stabbing noise came besides him. Zuko blinked once as a line of blood now ran down his cheek.

He looked to the side to see a kunai was now sicking out of the ground. More of the knives flung at Zuko.

Scoffing, he picked up the kunai and threw it at a single blade rushing towards him. His kunai bounced off of the assailant's, which then bounced on all of the other kunai individually, causing them to fly off course.

A man with red hair, purple eyes, and a black jacket with a red shirt under it stood on a tree nearby. He stared down at Zuko hard, gritting his teeth.

Zuko nonchalantly stared back before appearing above the man, spinning around to send a kick towards his head.

The unknown shinobi quickly rose an arm to block Zuko's kick, a surge of wind blowing as a result of the impact. Zuko frowned down at him, staying in his position with his leg on the man's arm.

Suddenly, a large line of blood rushed out of a cut on the man's arm, wrapping around Zuko's leg quickly.

_ What__?!_ thought Zuko as the man smirked, spinning him around before throwing him to the ground. Zuko angrily rebounded, sliding on the ground while looking at the man.

"Who are you?" he demanded. The man slowly unsheathed a thin samurai sword, pointing it at Zuko.

"I am Ketsueki Kuraiya," he responded. Zuko's eyes widened with shock.

_ Did he say __Kuraiya__? T__h__e_ _Hokage_ _had_ _the_ _Kuraiya_ _clan_ _wiped_ _out__, and th__is_ _man_ _survived__? __To my knowledge, their_ _kekkei_ _genkai_ _allows_ _them_ _to_ _freely_ _manipulate_ _their_ _blood__... __this_ _won't_ _be_ eas_y._

"Furthermore, I am aware of Gyatsō Mataba's plans for a new world order. I am also aware of the Osore organisation. My sources from around the world told me everything I needed to know," continued Ketsueki.

Zuko slowly stood up, his Shaolin entering its second stage.

"I see... well, Kuraiya, it seems that I'll have to shut you up myself," he said.

Ketsueki jumped from the tree, but he levitated in the air. Simply lifting and manipulating his blood allowed him to fly.

"You're just an obstacle for me to overcome. I am merely an intervention_._ Itachi couldn't be it because his resolve was too weak. He's trying to carry the burden of burying Gyatsō and you Osore folk, on his own, without knowledge. I, however, have that knowledge. That is why you'll be the first person I kill," said Ketsueki as he landed on the ground lightly.

Zuko stared wordlessly before gritting his teeth, the cross on his neck blaring red as his body was quickly covered in black marks.

"I am SICK... and TIRED... of vermin thinking they're worthy of stepping in our way!" Zuko shouted at him.

He appeared in front of Ketsueki, launching a heavy fist to his stomach. Ketsueki smirked as he took the hit, but bounded forward at the same time before jabbing the sword into Zuko's stomach.

The force of his punch sent Ketsueki sprawling back. He landed on the ground and looked ahead with a conceited facial expression.

The Shaolin-wielding shinobi grabbed the grip of the sword and pulled it out of his stomach, groaning a bit.

"Using this sword on me is utter stupidity, my wounds will heal!" he cackled out.

Suddenly, he dropped to his knees, clenching his stomach with a loud shout of pain.

_ What_ _is_ _this_ _terrible pain__?! __Did he.. did he poison me somehow?!_

The slash in Zuko's stomach began to burn as it became purple due to inner bruising.

"_Underestimating_ _me_ is uttter stupidity, Zuko Taisega. My Sword of Sin is no ordinary sword, you fool. One slash is enough to kill a man due to the invisible, poisonous substance on the blade. The poison itself is said to be the incarnate of my sword's demonic spirit," said Ketsueki before wiping away the blood on his mouth.

Zuko roared as the power of the Darkus Phantom kicked in instinctively, purple mists rapidly coming out of his body. His hair stuck up wildly and turned white, with two wings forming out of his back, flapping quickly.

Ketsueki shot a thin line of blood to his sword, wrapping it around the grip before pulling his hand back, yanking the sword towards him. He turned so that it slid back into its sheath.

"Rather than killing you quickly as I originally planned, I'll let you suffer... the poison will continue to send surges of immense pain throughout your body until the day you die. Let this be a message that you pay for your crimes. The day will come when we meet again, you child of the Taisega clan," said Ketsueki.

He walked over to Itachi's body and picked it up. Zuko roared again and clenched his fist, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the man who beat him in such a quick way.

"Bastard!! What do you think you're doing?!"

Ketsueki laughed gently before spitting on Zuko.

"Gyatsō Mataba needs Itachi to continue on with Project Eyes of Immortality, so I'm taking your prize away. When Itachi awakes, I'll partner myself with him so we can work together on stopping Gyatsō once and for all," he responded.

He then opened one of Itachi's eyes, staring into it before closing his own.

_ Imitated Sharingan_ _._

Turning his head to Zuko, he opened his eyes, revealing himself to have Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan. Zuko gasped as he was now panting heavily.

"I also have the profound ability to perfectly imitate any Sharingan or Mangekyou I look at and use their techniques. I have Shin Uchiha, my former teacher, to thank for that."

Zuko's vision turned into black and white as he was now tied to a cross.

"Tsukuyomi!"

Zuko's curse mark deactivated as he lost consciousness under the genjutsu. Ketsueki chuckled as he disappeared with Itachi's body.


	24. Osore's Surprise Attack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ketsueki Kuraiya, a powerful shinobi that rendered Zuko unconscious in less than five minutes, allies himself with Itachi. Together, they plan on stopping Gyatsō's Project Eyes of Immortality by destroying him and his Osore subordinates. Their meeting, however, is abruptly interrupted by the man of the hour himself.

Itachi slowly opened his eyes and winced. Once he saw Ketsueki looking down at him, he quickly bolted upwards, holding a kunai to his neck. No words were exchanged.

Ketsueki stood still before slowly moving his hand to the kunai, where it broke on contact. Itachi lightly gasped and stared at Ketsueki.

"Relax, Itachi Uchiha. I'm an ally. I'm the one who took you out of Zuko Taisega's clutches. This is my thanks?" the red-haired shinobi asked with a smile.

Itachi took a step back, looking around. They were in a wooden cabin. Drops of rain dripped from its roof.

"Should I suspect that you're a member of the Osore attempting to trick me?" Itachi asked him.

Ketsueki chuckled a little and crossed his arms.

"Ah, a keen man you are. But no, I'm not. Use your Sharingan to look at my most recent memories if you don't believe me."

Itachi hesitated before activating his Sharingan, looking into Ketsueki's eyes. After a brief moment, he saw Ketsueki throwing kunai at Zuko. He silently watched as the battle continued but ended the genjutsu as soon as Ketsueki picked up his unconscious body. He then lightly sighed, looking outside of the window.

"You have my gratitude for rescuing me. I understand who you are now and what you are trying to accomplish," he started.

Itachi turned his head back to Ketsueki.

"But stating that I cannot end Project Eyes of Immortality just because I'm doing it by myself... it's hypocrisy, as you are trying to do the exact same thing."

Ketsueki raised an eyebrow with disbelief.

"Did you not hear me saying it's truly because you lacked information? Even with your Mangekyou Sharingan, running around, trying to take down elite shinobi with their even more elite superior makes you blind.. _especially_ since we have to deal with two Shaolin wielders," said Ketsueki.

Itachi nodded before gently smiling.

"Ah, only one. I doubt Zuko Taisega will be incapable of moving at all, thanks to your poison."

Ketsueki chuckled again, reaching into his jacket pocket to take out a strawberry. He bit into the soft fruit and swallowed.

"I have a proposal for you, Itachi. Seeing you as quite an intelligent person, I'm sure you know what it is."

"Is that so? ...Well, you're correct. You want the two of us to team up and work together in order to stop this Project Eyes of Immortality," said Itachi. Ketsueki nodded.

"Precisely."

"Listen to me, first, Ketsueki. I've a proposal of my own... if my Mangekyou Sharingan is needed for Gyatsō to advance in his plan, wouldn't destroying my eyes fix this problem? By that, I mean killing me and making sure my eyes are destroyed so they aren't suitable for Gyatsō to use."

Ketsueki sighed and wiped his mouth.

"No. Doing that would simply mean rescuing you was pointless on my part. Besides, we both know that you want to see the Osore and Gyatsō destroyed before your very eyes. I can tell, I'm no fool either. Also... you want to face the _real_ Gyatsō to see if that little 0.0025% estimation from Zuko was true. I won't lie to you, I would also like to see for myself if he truly is that powerful," Ketsueki replied.

"I barely have to insinuate what I want in order for you to _know _what I want. You're very analytical," Itachi remarked.

Ketsueki ignored the compliment and slowly extended his hand to Itachi.

"Is it decided then? Shall we work as one entity in order to maintain the peace the world has now? To eliminate every member of the Osore before taking down Gyatsō Mataba?" Ketsueki asked softly.

Itachi grabbed his hand and shook it with a nod.

"This is our mission. We must do all that we can in order to stop Project Eyes of Immortality," Itachi said with a smile.

"The real question is, _can_ _you_even stop it?" asked Gyatsō's voice that suddenly filled the room.

Itachi and Ketsueki gasped and quickly turned around to see Gyatsō with an enraged facial expression.

_ Almighty_ _Push__!!_

One moment later, he stood directly in front of them, before a heavy gust of wind blew them back, sending them crashing through the shed's wall. They both landed outside and looked ahead.

One by one, several cloaked shinobi jumped from the shed's roof, looking back at them. They all then lowered their hoods to reveal their faces.

Standing at each other's sides were Osore members Sebbech, Seiko, and Hikari.

A fourth Osore member with spiky, dark blue hair and snake-like eyes and light green, scaled skin stood besides Hikari. A cross, which looked exactly like Zuko's cross on his neck, was on his right cheek. His name was Hide, the "second" Darkus Phantom, and Zuko's other half.

Gyatsō quickly jumped out of the shed and walked towards them.

Sebbech smirked as the wind blew his green hair to the side, but it still covered the left side of his face.

"You two reeeeaaally pissed Lord Gyatsō off!" he said.

Seiko giggled and pointed at Ketsueki.

"_Especially_ you. You have absolutely no idea how fucked you are right now! The sin of angering Lord Gyatsō will be paid for with your very fucking lives!" she giggled out.

Hikari sighed and shook his head while looking at Sebbech and Seiko.

"Can't you two learn how to not swear so frequently? Have a shred of decency here..."

Seiko stuck her middle finger directly in Hikari's face and smirked.

"This is what you get for hitting God earlier."

"What?.. Sebbech isn't God..."

"Fuck off, Hikari!"

Gyatsō now stood in front of the Osore. They silenced themselves with respect.

His Shaolin radiated with anger as he stared at Itachi and Ketsueki. Itachi slowly stood up, beginning to sweat a bit.

"This is bad. We can't take down all of them at once," he informed Ketsueki.

The red-haired shinobi unsheathed the Sword of Sin, not responding.

_ I_ _know_ _that__, __damnit__. __But_ _I_ _refuse_ _to_ _be_ _killed_ _here__. __If I die here, all of my __intel__ regarding Gyatsō's plots will die with me. For the __shinobi__ world, I must live on._

"...I don't know who you are, but you made the worst possible mistake interfering with _my_ plans. Another grave mistake was injuring my protégé, Zuko Taisega. He unfortunately couldn't be here to witness the death of the man who defeated him. Sad, really, but your death is imminent," Gyatsō said through clenched teeth.

He slowly rose a hand, his fist facing Ketsueki and Itachi. He then pointed at them with a single finger. The Osore members rushed forward.

Hikari performed multiple hand seals, already behind Itachi and Ketsueki.

"Supīdo: Geirukatto!" he yelled.

He sliced at the air with his arm, pushing Itachi and Ketsueki forwards with intense speed.

The Kuraiya clan member shot a line of blood onto a tree and swung around to stop, but Hide smashed his knee into his chest to send him crashing onto the ground.

Itachi spun around midair and threw multiple shuriken and kunai at Seiko, but she effortlessly dodged them as she hummed to herself.

Itachi's legs slid on the ground as he performed a few hand seals.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

He blew out flames in the form of a fairly large dragon that was quickly approaching Seiko and Sebbech.

Sebbech rushed through the flames, which dispersed as soon as he touched them.

"What?" Itachi gasped.

Sebbech then appeared besides Itachi, placing a hand on his back before disappearing. Seiko shot a torrent of water his way, which spiralled around quickly.

Itachi jumped back far, but lines of chakra dissection blades could be seen slicing throughout his body as he suddenly fell to the ground. Sebbech stood above him, smirking widely.

"You can't handle me, bastard," the green-haired shinobi scoffed.

"Itachi!" Ketsueki yelled, looking over at him before looking back at Hide. They were exchanging punches and kicks, but neither of them has landed a hit. He jumped back, gritting his teeth.

Hikari bounded forward, performing a single hand seal.

"Supīdo: Baindo."

Hikari sliced at the air again, a visible wave of yellow air touching Ketsueki.

Ketsueki grunted as he noticed he moved considerably slower. Hide smirked as he began to connect punch after kick onto Ketsueki. A large snake slipped from under his arm and wrapped around him before throwing him hard against a tree.

_ Ninja Art: __Nullification_, thought Ketsueki as his speed now returned to normal. He breathed in before running forward. Itachi did the same.

Only fifteen minutes passed. Itachi panted heavily as he sloppily avoided attack combinations sent from Seiko and Sebbech, who didn't show any signs of exhaustion.

Ketsueki crashed onto the ground as Hide and Hikari stood above him. He looked over to Itachi as he smashed a fist into the ground, gritting his teeth.

_ I__'m_ _sorry__, __Itachi__... __truly__, I __am__. __But_ _I_ _can't_ _die_ _today__, __I_ _just_ _can't__. __Forgive_ _me__._

The red-haired male then looked away before weakly raising a hand, performing a single hand seal. He suddenly disappeared without a trace.

Hide crossed his arms as he looked at Itachi, who was just kicked down to the ground by Sebbech. He didn't even notice Ketsueki had escaped.

Itachi gritted his teeth as he slowly lost consciousness due to his depletion of chakra. Gyatsō scoffed.

"We're done here. Take Itachi back to the hideout. I'm done with foolishness, this fusion occurs tonight. Sebbech, track down that man and kill him," the white-haired male ordered.

He then stood atop the tree he was sitting on, looking up to the full moon before poofing away, indicating it was another clone all along.

Hikari picked up Itachi's body and placed clay on the ground, which formed into a bird-like model. He stood on it and closed his eyes as the bird took off. Seiko followed Hide as he walked through the forest.

"Damn that Kuraiya," muttered Sebbech as he looked around. A few moments later, his eyes widened as he noticed a blade was now sticking out of his chest.

He coughed up blood and fell to his knees as he gritted his teeth, staring down at the blade to see Ketsueki's reflection off of it. The poison had already spread to his heart.

"I decided... to first take down... one... of you!" Ketsueki said while panting.

Sebbech opened his mouth before his already dead body hit the ground. Ketsueki stared at the corpse before disappearing from sight once more.


	25. A God of War Emerges

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Itachi finally in his clutches, Gyatsō begins his first major step to ruling the shinobi world: fusing with Itachi and gaining the Mūgetsu Shaolin.

"I'm done with waiting," said Gyatsō. His arms were crossed, and his Shaolin was blaring in the dimmed light of the cave.

Three large pods sat in the room, all of them connected to each other. Some kind of bubbling blue liquid was inside of these pods, with a large monitor and keyboard resting above it. 

Hide walked forward, opening the pod on the far right before throwing Itachi's body inside of it. Seiko gritted her teeth as she bowed to Gyatsō, worry on her face.

"Lord Gyatsō, Master Sebbech hasn't returned yet... with all due respect, my lord, you should wait for hi-" 

Seiko was cut off when Gyatsō sharply brought the back of his hand to her cheek, sending her falling backwards. Hikari had sidestepped out of the way with no look of concern on his face. Seiko angrily stared at the ground as Gyatsō began to speak to her.

"Nothing is more important than this fusion. Show me such disrespect again, and I'll kill you on the spot. Is that understood?" he had demanded. Seiko gave no response. 

In seemingly an instant, he was now standing over Seiko. He grabbed her by her orange locks before pulling her up to make eye contact with her. Hikari looked over to them, gritting his teeth a little.

_Damnit__, __Seiko__, __just_ _answer_ _him_ _before_ _he_ _kills_ _you._

Hide's snakelike eyes glistened with interest as he silently watched the ordeal.

"Is... that... understood?" Gyatsō repeated, adding emphasis to every word. Seiko gritted her teeth as she nodded without verbally responding. Not letting go of the female subordinate's hair, Gyatsō looked over to Hide. 

"I'll say it again. I'm _done _with waiting. Commence the preparations for the fusion," he ordered. 

Hide murmured out a raspy "Yes, my lord," before walking over to the keyboard, pressing away at multiple keys. The blue liquid in the pods slowly turned purple and was now bubbling rapidly. Itachi's body became a bit thinner as a strange result. Quickly noticing this, Gyatsō dropped Seiko and looked at the rest of the Osore with a smirk of satisfaction.

"You're about to witness the transformation... of the strongest form I can possibly have!" he boomed. Hikari and the others smirked as well, eager to witness the fusion. 

"Hikari, make sure to set off the bombs after my fusion. Only then will we attack Konoha, murder the Hokage, and take control of the village. Orochimaru's Hidden Sound forces will join us in the assault against the remaining Great Nations. Smaller villages will have no choice but to surrender or be destroyed," Gyatsō continued.

Hikari nodded before looking over to Zuko. His body was in a separate pod, filled with red, bubbling fluid. It was a different pod used for regeneration. 

_ Oh__, __Zuko, _he thought._It_ _must_ _sadden_ _you_ _to_ _not_ _be_ _able_ _to_ _witness_ _Lord__ Gyatsō's __ultimate_ _fusion__. __Perhaps_ _you'll_ _be_ _too_ _injured_ _to_ _participate_ _in_ _the_ _war__, __too__. __Don't_ _worry__. __We'll_ _kill_ _Ketsueki_ _for_ _what_ _he_ _did_ _to_ _you._

Seiko slowly stood up and watched Gyatsō as he tore off his cloak and then his blue mesh armour top. Hide, Hikari, and a small group of Oto shinobi watched as well as he walked into the pod on the far left. 

He then deactivated his Shaolin before looking over to Itachi's motionless body, smiling one final time. 

_ Fret not__, __Uchiha__. __You'll_ _see_ _the_ _destruction_ _of_ _your_ _home_ _village__... __in_ _OUR_ _consciousness__! _he thought, remembering Itachi's earlier question: "Do you really think I'll allow you to destroy my home village?"

Gyatsō jumped on top of the edge of the pod and looked inside it. After slowly closing his eyes, he fell into the pod. The lid closed immediately after. 

Hide typed away at the keyboard again until the liquids turned red. The speed of the bubbles increased even more, to the point of where Gyatsō and Itachi's bodies couldn't be seen anymore.

"Behold!" yelled Hide, typing at the keyboard again. 

Osore and the rest of the shinobi present watched with eager as the liquids in those pods slowly drained, with a new, green liquid pouring into the third one. Everyone gasped as they sensed the immensely powerful chakra in this pod.

_What__ the hell?! What is this chakra? It's... it's like it's infinitely growing, _thought a now sweating Seiko.

The pods where Itachi and Gyatsō's bodies were in were now completely empty. After a few moments, the pod in the middle cracked and shattered. 

As the green liquid rained down, everyone looked up to see a male levitating. His hair was long and white, and he had fairly toned muscles. His irises were dark red. He rose his hand and stared at it. Then he looked down at everyone. No words were exchanged until Hide spoke up.

"Lord... Gyatsō?" he muttered quietly. 

The male's left eye morphed into Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan, and his right eye morphed into Gyatsō's full powered Shaolin. 

"I suppose," he started, his Mangekyou quickly transforming into the Shaolin. It then donned four more lines to make six. His iris changed from red to red-orange. 

"You can call me that..."

His Shaolin also changed colour, with four more lines appearing in its vacant spots. 

_There it is... the Mūgetsu Shaolin, _Hide thought excitedly. Gyatsō smirked widely and slapped his hand over his eyes. 

"This... power... I must savour it... everyone, go... fulfil your duties..."

On his command, everyone in the room left.

Hikari landed on the top of the cave, his hair blowing furiously in the wind. He then sat down and performed a single hand seal. 

"Let the fun begin... huh!!"

Across Konoha, multiple devastating explosions went off. Accompanying the sounds of explosions were startled screams and the sounds of buildings collapsing. 

Nori's eyes widened as an explosion came off above her, but she jumped out of the window before the ceiling collapsed. As she landed on the ground, she looked around in horror as villagers were crushed by debris, others screaming and running around. 

"What the hell is happening?!" one of the villagers yelled, not noticing the large piece of stone that was now falling towards him.

Nori appeared above him and smashed her fist against the stone, sending it flying into a wall. She picked him up and dashed to the village's rescue area, where she sat him down before gritting her teeth. 

Iruka Umino, now a Jonin of the village, ran to her as more explosions set off in other parts of the village. He had severe burns on his back, indicating he was also caught in the sudden explosions.

"L-Lady Nori! We're under attack!" he yelled, panting. 

Nori looked around again, clenching her fists tightly. 

_ What's happening?! And why?! I knew there was something weird going on, but I never thought the village would be attacked like this! _

"Iruka, gather the other Jonin and Chunin and rescue the villagers! I'll get the ANBU to look for any intruders," she yelled back, due to the screaming across the village.

"Right!" Iruka replied before dashing away. Nori ran forward, now coughing as smoke from fire filled the area. Suddenly, she stopped, widening her eyes. 

A deep slash was now in her chest. Her blood dripped to the ground.

After a few moments, the female Hokage slowly looked behind her, now staring into the cold eyes of Orochimaru.

"You're not going anywhere, Nori Senju."


	26. Fall of Konoha - Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A powered-up Gyatsō orders the Osore and his Hidden Sound allies to start their assault against the Five Great Nations. Gyatsō's Hidden Dark Nation begins with the Hidden Leaf, launching their Siege of Konoha, with Hikari setting off numerous explosions throughout the Hidden Leaf. An army of HIdden Sound and Dark shinobi also invade the village and kill both villagers and shinobi. The plan: take out the acting Hokage and control the entire village.

"I've finally done it," Gyatsō said to himself softly. His Mūgetsu Shaolin blared as the crosses spun quickly. Immediately after, his hair turned pure white and began to shorten. He chuckled again as he crossed his arms, squinting.

"So, I can freely manipulate my own DNA structure to change my appearance.. interesting."

Gyatsō walked around the cave before stopping at the sight of a ripped, black poncho near a tree stump. He picked it up and threw it over his body before slowly levitating once more. Deciding not to stop, he went straight through the ceiling, which demonstrated a new intangibility jutsu.

As the wind furiously blew his hair to the side, Gyatsō looked down at the cave, widening his eyes as his Mūgetsu blared once more.

_ Zuko once told me that one's field of vision shall be engulfed by hellfire upon awakening the Mūgetsu_._ Come forth, Ultimate Shaolin Art... of Catastrophic_ _Hell_ _Flames__...__!_

A moment later, the cave was engulfed in scorching red and black fire. In under less than five seconds, the cave was nearly melted. After a minute, the cave was gone, but the fire hadn't died yet. It began to seep into the ground, destroying the soil underneath as it kept on going. A large crater filled the ground with lava bubbling at the very bottom. Gyatsō chuckled once more, amazed at the potential of his Mūgetsu.

"I lost so many loyal subordinates in order to get these eyes. It was worth it. Now then..."

The Osore leader's pupils expanded before dilating. Suddenly, he was in front of the entrance to Konoha. Sounds of explosions and screams caused him to smile as he slowly walked forward.

"Stop right there!" yelled a feminine voice.

Konoha Jonin, Tenten, stood in front of Gyatsō with gritted teeth. The brunette kunoichi had gotten rid of her trademark buns in order to let her middle-lengthened hair grow straight down.

Tenten studied Gyatsō closely as she pulled out a large scroll.

"I don't know who you are, but if you make a single movement, I'll finish you!" she yelled at him. Gyatsō stared at her as he crossed his arms.

"Do your worst..."

The scroll in Tenten's hands immediately shot out large, spiked iron balls at Gyatsō. Laughing gently, the white-haired male extended his hand at the same time. An extremely brutal gust of wind blew from his body, causing a roaring blare to fill the area.

Not only did this send the iron balls flying in random directions, but also blew Tenten back at intense speed. She crashed into a nearby building, which collapsed due to the force of the impact. Gyatsō then scoffed, walking towards the rubble.

"Severe Leaf Hurricane!"

A taller Rock Lee, who also wore a Jonin flak jacket, would appear at Gyatsō's side, sending a barrage of high-speed kicks to the male's abdomen. The white-haired male gripped Lee's leg as he lifted his own, delivering a hard kick to his chest. Lee muffled in pain as he managed to block the kick with his hand, but nonetheless, was sent flying back. 

Gyatsō would then appear above him, gripping his neck before slamming the male into the ground.

"Don't challenge a god," he said as he stood up, staring at the now unconscious Lee. His eyes then darted back to the rubble Tenten was under. 

His Mūgetsu Shaolin blared as the wrecked cement levitated. Gyatsō bent over Tenten's body before shoving a kunai through her forehead. Tenten's body went limp as her blood stained his face.

"Here's a parting gift for you weaklings," he chuckled, an explosion tag appearing in his hands. Slapping the explosion tag on the kunai, the male nonchalantly dragged Lee's body onto Tenten's as he levitated away. A massive explosion went off from where he left them.

Flying across the southern part of the village, Gyatsō effortlessly murdered villagers and shinobi alike, including ANBU and Jonin. Even academy students who rushed to help villagers were caught in his merciless onslaught. 

After five minutes of Hikari's continuous bombing of the village, as well as Osore attacks throughout, Gyatsō crossed his arms again, now levitating over the village. Hidden Sound and Dark shinobi were now swarming into the village, attacking villagers and Konoha shinobi.

"Orochimaru... you bastard...!" Nori said through gritted teeth, falling to her knees. More blood leaked from her chest. 

The serpentine Sannin cackled behind her before turning around, shrugging his shoulders. 

"My, my! I never thought the precious daughter of Tsunade would fall _this_ easily!" he said while cackling more. 

"Why are you... doing this?!" she demanded. 

"With the help of Gyatsō Mataba and his new Mūgetsu Shaolin, why wouldn't I play a part here? I rather _enjoy_ helping one fan his flame!" he replied with a wide smirk. Nori fell onto her stomach, her vision slowly fading away.

"You'll... regret attacking this village... you son of a bitch, I... swear.."

"Spare me the harsh warnings, Hokage. Just shut your mouth... and die!"

Orochimaru took a moment before walking over to stand above Nori. He shoved the blade into Nori's head with brute force. The majority of the blade stuck out through her mouth.

"Lady Nori!!" screamed Shizune, who had just caught sight of the scene. The dark haired woman gritted her teeth as she glared at Orochimaru, who gave her a smirk back. Chakra blades flared up from Shizune's hands as she ran to Orochimaru. 

"Ah, the assistant?" he mumbled, pulling the sword out of Nori's head.

"I'll make you pay for what you've done to her!!" Shizune screamed, now in front of Orochimaru. 

The Sannin quickly sidestepped at the last moment before twirling around, harshly slashing the back of Shizune's head.

_ Ughhhhh, _thought Akazo as he began to open his eyes. He was still in the hospital, recuperating from the beating he took from Kimimaro earlier.

_My_ _head_ _is_ _freaking throbbing__... __huh__? What's that noise?_

He pulled the covers off of his body before looking up to see multiple Otogakure shinobi surrounding him. He then widened his eyes and gasped loudly.

"What the hell?!"


	27. Fall of Konoha - Dusk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akazo finally awakes, startled to see multiple invading Sound ninja surrounding him. Nonetheless, the ANBU Black Ops member isn't going down without a fight.

Akazo sat there in complete silence, with surprised, widened eyes. What he was staring at was a kunai, jabbed deep inside one of the pillows lying besides his head. A faint light gleamed off of the kunai, causing the young ANBU member to flinch a bit. His eyes would then dart to the Otogakure shinobi that held onto the kunai. A smirk formed across his chapped, rigid lips as he slowly pulled the knife out of the plush cushion, which ripped it in the process. White feathers emerged from the hole and littered the bed.

"Well," started one of the invading shinobi's partners, who stood at the door with crossed arms. His black hair was tied into a long ponytail, and a noticeable slash rested above his right eye. He bore no ninja tools. For some reason, Akazo quickly noted that this individual wasn't going to be as much of a pushover as the one standing in front of him. For a moment, he flashed a glare at this supposedly threatening man, who returned the gesture with his own glare. Akazo's eyes then returned to the man in front of him.

"If you had _any_ common sense, Zadon, you'd know that you should never aim directly at your target," the pony-tailed ninja sighed out. His partner looked at him with an annoyed expression. Strangely enough, this relationship seemed to be like what Hidan and Kakuzu of the Akatsuki shared.

"What the hell are you going on about, Atoma?! You can't hit anything if you don't _aim_ at it," Zadon responded. The fact that Zadon took his eyes off of Akazo - thus dropping his guard - made Akazo even more confident that he'd be easy to beat, but as a result, his reluctance to fight Atoma grew.

"Predict what the target's position will be after you take the initial shot, and aim there instead. What, you thought that he'd just sit there and let you kill him? These Konoha shinobi are far too humble for that," said Atoma, shaking his head with disbelief. Zadon gritted his teeth and looked back at Akazo.

"In any case, this boy dies!" he yelled, raising the kunai. Before Zadon could pierce Akazo with the easily manoeuvrable knife, the dark-haired shinobi directed a strong right fist to his face, sending him sprawling backwards and crashing into the wall. Atoma didn't even watch, he stood motionlessly by the door, seemingly more attentive to the chaos outside of the small hospital.

Zadon would let out an angry growl as he slowly stood up, spitting out a knocked out tooth. 

"Alright, since you wanna be like that," he started, performing multiple hand seals, cackling as his crazed pupils focused on Akazo, who now stood in front of the bed. Akazo let out a slight gasp as he watched Zadon's hand signs accelerate.

_This_ _jutsu, it's..._

"I'll blow this entire place up!"

A bright light consumed the hospital before an explosion went off, sending debris flying everywhere. Smoke engulfed the area as the sounds of warfare still went off in the background.

Somewhere near the village outskirts, Sasuke, followed by his eight-man squad, stopped in their tracks. All ANBU squads previously sent off by Nori were rushing back to the village.

"Captain, why'd you stop?" asked one of the ANBU members. Sasuke looked at the male before looking back ahead.

_That_ _explosion_ _just_ _now__... __it was_ _near_ _the_ _hospital_ _Akazo_ _is_ _recuperating_ _at__. __I_ _have_ _to_ _hurry__, _Sasuke thought as he lifted up his mask.

"Techī, use the Modified Flying Raijin Jutsu to teleport all of you back to the village and ward off the enemy," said Sasuke, looking at another one of the men.

"What about you, captain? You're the strongest one among us, we'll need you in ba–"

"Just go! Don't disobey your captain! I'll be in the village before you even arrive," Sasuke reassured, dashing forward. In a few seconds, he was already out of sight. Techī gave off a sigh before turning around to face his team.

"Alright, everyone. Prepare for teleportation."

Standing on top of debris was Atoma with his arms crossed. He glared at his partner, who was standing next to him, panting lightly. All that remained of the hospital was completely destroyed.

"Zadon, that jutsu of yours... the Adamant Explosion technique, it drains too much chakra all at once. Now what if that boy survived? You'd be done for," he scolded, a vein popping out of his forehead. One scratch could be seen on his shirt.

"J-just shut the hell up and stay out of it, Atomi!" Zadon yelled back.

"Get my name wrong again and I'll kill you myself. Does that jutsu also cut back on the number of brain cells you have left, hm?" Atoma replied, staring at Zadon with an emotionless face. Zadon gritted his teeth and sighed again, turning around to face him.

"Whatever. The kid's dead anyway."

Atoma looked past Zadon's shoulder and raised an eyebrow.

_ Ah, so_ _that's what happened__..._

Suddenly, Zadon let out a deafening cry as his now bloodshot eyes widened. A few drops of blood dripped to the ground. 

Behind him was Akazo, holding the grip of his sword. The blade was jabbed deep into Zadon's back. The dark-haired shinobi quickly yanked his arm back, pulling the sword from Zadon's flesh. The bleeding intensified as a result. A shocked Zadon leaned forward, hunching over Atoma's shoulder.

Akazo panted lightly. Some parts of his face and arms were burned.

_If_ _I_ _hadn't__ used __the_ _Body_ _Flicker_ _Technique__, __I'd_ _be_ _dead__... __at_ _least_ _one_ _of_ _these_ _guys_ _are_ _down__._

Atoma used a finger to wipe away some blood that landed on his cheek.

"So, you _did_ survive. You Konoha shinobi sure are annoying to handle," said Atoma, shaking his head again. 

He then, without warning, shoved his knee forward, jabbing it into Zadon's stomach. Zadon's lower half imploded, his blood spewing in all directions. Akazo yelped and moved back as a fair amount got into his eyes, but before he could wipe any away, Atoma dashed forward, directing another knee to Akazo's chest.

Akazo sprawled backwards in the air, crashing into an abandoned residence. The house caved in, forcing its debris to fall on top of him. Atoma scoffed, his arms crossed again.

"I'd rather not use any ninjutsu to defeat you. Taijutsu will suffice... although I doubt you'd survive another one of my blows," he said gently, slowly walking towards the debris.

"Come on out, so I can kill you," he said, kicking bricks and pieces of cement out of his way.

"Chidori Sharp Spear!" yelled a male voice above Atoma.

A long spear of electricity jabbed Atoma in the back. The electricity was then manipulated into multiple more blades to immobilise him further, thus creating more wounds in his body. 

Atoma gritted his teeth and, with difficulty, turned around to look on top of a building to see Sasuke, his Sharingan blazing.

_The_ _Sharingan__, _Atoma thought. _An_ _Uchiha__... __Sasuke_ _Uchiha!_ He then coughed out a small amount of blood.

Sasuke gave him a light smirk as he jumped down, now walking towards the immobile Atoma.

"Just stand still, so I can kill you."


	28. Fall of Konoha - Twilight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke has arrived back in the Hidden Leaf Village to help Akazo against the taijutsu powerhouse Atoma.

"I never would've guessed that it'd take Sasuke Uchiha to finish me off," said Atoma with a defeated tone of voice. Sasuke, gritting his teeth, intensified the currents of electricity inside of Atoma's chest.

"I don't care for your compliments, you Hidden Sound scum. You all have attacked this village long ago with the Sand and failed, what makes you think this time will be any different?" Sasuke asked him, now unsheathing the sword that rested on his back. 

Atoma coughed out some more blood as he tried to back away, but to no avail. His body was now completely paralysed due to Sasuke's Chidori Sharp Spear. 

"I couldn't sworn you were also of the Hidden Sound, Sa-"

"That's enough out of you!" Sasuke yelled as he sprinted towards Atoma, holding his sword in front of him. Atoma slowly closed his eyes as Sasuke neared him even faster.

"Drop dead!" the Uchiha clan member yelled, quickly turning his body before slashing at Atoma's chest.

"You first."

Suddenly, Atoma bounded forwards, Sasuke's electricity dispersing without warning. Sasuke's eyes widened as he read the male's movements with his Sharingan, instantly dodging the heavy punch Atoma aimed at his body. 

A smirk formed on Sasuke's lips as he turned his body around, moving his arm to the left to successfully slash Atoma deep in the chest.

_Wait, what is this?!_

Sasuke widened his eyes once more as almost all of the air in his lungs was forced out. His body was sent sprawling back in the air, crashing into some debris some distance away. 

Atoma stood still, a bit of smoke escaping his right fist. It appears that he actually dealt a massive blow to Sasuke's chest.

"Even with your Sharingan, you can't counter my special genjutsu," he chuckled out. Sasuke slowly stood up and clutched his chest with a light pant. A bit of sweat glistened on his forehead as he glared at his opponent.

_I know I cut him down, but there's not even a wound on his chest. What is this, some cheap version of the Izanagi? _Sasuke thought before averting his attention to a moving pile of debris behind Atoma. Akazo crawled out before appearing to Sasuke's side, panting lightly while kneeling.

"Akazo, you alright?" Sasuke asked, slowly performing hand seals. Atoma rose an eyebrow and started to walk towards them.

"I'm fine. I managed to take down this guy's partner. He packs a hell of a punch though," replied Akazo, rubbing the back of his head. Sasuke let out a soft chuckle, nodding.

"One of his abilities is similar to the Uchiha's Izanagi genjutsu, in which one could rewrite reality to fit in his favour," said Sasuke.

"Damn. So we're going with Formation...?"

"Formation J, yeah. Ready when you are, Akazo."

"Right."

Akazo reached into his pouch before throwing multiple shuriken towards Atoma. At the same time, Sasuke breathed out a ball of fire, igniting these shuriken. Akazo dashed forward, his body just underneath the flying weapons. Atoma gritted his teeth as he jumped to the side, holding his arms out in front of him as an act of defence.

The dark haired male collided into Atoma, directing quick punches and kicks to Atoma's arms to push him back. After a while, Atoma occasionally launched a few blows of his own to Akazo, who blocked them.

"Formation W!"

Akazo bounded backwards to reveal Sasuke in the air, with his sword in hand. He made swift movements with his body and arms, attempting to cut Atoma, who kept effortlessly dodging. 

An annoyed Atoma then grabbed Sasuke's sword, applying force to try and crack the blade in half. Sasuke smirked as electricity escaped the blade before engulfing Atoma's body. Sasuke then directed a kick to Atoma's face, sending him backwards.

"Nice one, Sasuke!" said Akazo in the background, performing a hand sign. A shadow clone appeared at his side, dashing to where Sasuke and Atoma were.

_What are these two plotting? _thought Atoma, sliding his feet on the ground. Sasuke appeared in front of him, slashing at him once more. Atoma jumped backwards, not noticing Akazo's clone behind him. The clone would quickly unsheathe its own sword, jabbing the blade into Atoma's back.

In an instant, the shadow clone poofed away as Atoma was now in front of Sasuke.

"That jutsu again?!" Sasuke gasped, before Atoma directed an elbow to his stomach. He hunched over, wheezing at Atoma's knees.

"Foolish Sasuke, it's just as I said earli--" 

Atoma widened his now bloodshot eyes as he slowly turned around to look into Sasuke's Sharingan. 

"You fell prey to a simple Sharingan genjutsu. Now as_ I_ said earlier, stand still so I can kill you," Sasuke said softly. His sword was sticking out of Atoma's chest. Blood slowly dripped off of the blade that glistened in the light.

_Damn you, Sasuke Uchiha... I underestimated you, _thought Atoma as he fell to the ground. Akazo walked towards Sasuke, looking down at Atoma's body.

"Wait, that's it? Why didn't he use that genjutsu like the first time?" he asked. Sasuke's Sharingan deactivated as he turned to face his partner.

"As much as he wanted to ignore it, he knew that his genjutsu was inferior before my Sharingan. I just simply saw through his genjutsu and broke us out of it," he replied. 

Explosions, as well as screaming, boomed in the background. Both Sasuke and Akazo put on their ANBU masks as they dashed forward, heading towards the centre of the village.

Suddenly, a large gust of wind pushed them both back. The two ANBU members drew their weapons as several Otogakure shinobi quickly surrounded them.

"Akazo, once we take these guys down, we _have_ to find Lady Nori," said Sasuke. Akazo nodded.

Hikari sighed to himself as the sounds of battle started to annoy him. He stood at the gate of the village, slowly unzipping the top of his cloak, letting an arm hang out. Seiko crossed her arms, scoffing at him.

"Why the hell are you looking like that? Lord Gyatsō's dreams are finally coming true, and here you are... looking like a little _bitch!_" she said, spitting at him. Hikari wordlessly looked at her, the wind picking up his long, blonde hair.

"Don't you know? Our deaths are drawing near, just as Nagato and Konan's were. Don't you wish to die without any regrets, especially when we're in this chaos right now?" he asked softly, looking away after asking. Seiko squinted at him, confused as to why her comrade spoke to her like this.

"Hikari... what the _fuck_ are you talking about?"

Hikari slowly stood up, pointing to his left. 

"Never mind it. Someone's here."

Zuko Taisega revealed himself, his dark hair covering his eyes. His clothes were torn, and dried blood rested on a long cut on his chest.

"Zuko?! What the hell are you doing here?!" Seiko exclaimed, walking towards him with a smirk. Zuko didn't give a reply.

"I thought you were gonna stay at the hideout since that poison's gonna fuck ya over soon," she giggled out before gasping for air. 

Zuko held her by the neck as his left eye gleamed red. His Shaolin was activated in his left eye, but his right eye was closed. Seiko slapped Zuko's hand multiple times as her body slowly grew numb, her eyes losing its light.

Hikari watched silently as a line of blood ran down Seiko's mouth as she now stopped moving.

_Zuko... you killed her... which means..._

The Taisega clan member threw Seiko's corpse to the side, slowly walking towards Hikari.

"Relax, Zuko. I won't get involved in anything you're going through. Actually, you did me a favour by getting rid of her. I told her that she was going to die soon," said Hikari, smiling lightly. 

Zuko suddenly clutched his chest and fell to his knees, breathing heavily.

_ I see, _thought Hikari,_ that's the effects of the Sin Sword's poison..._

"Where is... Lord Gyatsō?" Zuko faintly asked him. Hikari helped Zuko up and wiped the blood off of the boy's mouth.

"I believe he's in the far south of the village," replied Hikari. Zuko smiled at Hikari before turning around, still panting.

"Thank you," said Zuko. He slowly walked forward.

"...This is the last time I'll be seeing you, isn't it?" asked Hikari. Zuko still walked forward, not responding.

Hikari let out a soft sigh before walking forward, clutching his fist as a single tear ran down his eye.

_ Only you and I remain then, Hide. Looks like I'll be the only one who gets to stay at Lord Gyatsō's side in the end._


	29. Past of Extinction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having now recuperated from his fight against the Osore, Ketsueki Kuraiya has assembled a large army of rogue shinobi before him. He asks them to aid him in his counterattack against Gyatsō Mataba and his Hidden Dark Nation. Deciding to help the Hidden Leaf Village reminds the man of his traumatic past at the hands of the previous Hokage.

Ketsueki stood before a large group of shinobi that swore allegiance to none of the Five Great Nations. None of the shinobi had a headband from any of the Hidden Villages, and their clothing weren't traditional to any of them either.

"Now that I've told you all the situation we're in, what will you do? None of you ever swore loyalty to a nation, yet I'm here, asking you to give aid to a village that intentionally wiped out my clan. I want an answer from you guys," Ketsueki started, closing his eyes. None of the shinobi spoke up yet.

_ Y_ _es... so long ago, the Hidden Leaf, or rather, the acting Hokage, ordered that large squad of ANBU to eliminate the Kuraiya clan. My brother, Furesshu, and I were the only ones to survive. Furesshu had knowledge of this plan beforehand and escaped, and I was too strong for them to kill. Why am I even trying to help that accursed village for the suffering they caused me?_

Too many painful memories began to fill his head as he awaited a response from the group of shinobi.

. . . .

"Orochimaru? What are you talking about? Didn't he assist in ending the last war we were in?" asked a much younger Ketsueki. He was only 11 years old but he wore the uniform of the ANBU Black Ops. He had already mastered his kekkei genkai, Reddokaringu, a year earlier. His thinking and fighting skills were praised by the Hokage Kakashi Hatake himself, so he was brought into the ANBU. The boy was the pride of the Kuraiya clan.

His squad's captain stood before him with crossed arms. Yuo Nimiah was his name. Yuo also participated in the Fourth Great Shinobi War, and assisted the First Division in sealing Kumogakure's Gold and Silver Brothers, Kinkaku and Ginkaku. Yuo's son, Akazo Nimiah, was still at the ninja academy. His dark brown hair was tied into a ponytail.

"Yes, I mean Orochimaru. One of our ninja, Tenzo, has been keeping surveillance of Orochimaru this whole time, and he reports that he found him with multiple test subjects from Kirigakure. We are to capture Orochimaru, dead or alive. Scatter."

Yuo and the rest of the squad put on their masks and disappeared. Ketsueki deeply respected Orochimaru as he did indeed help end the last war, but he couldn't go against a Captain's orders. Sighing, he put on his mask and disappeared.

A short time later, intel from the village helped the squad find Orochimaru, but he escaped before the battle even began. Unfortunately, nobody in the squad was a good tracker, so the village called for their return. 

Ketsueki reported to the higher-ups before returning to the Kuraiya clan palace. Walking into his family's home, he took off his mask and shoes, placing them in his closet.

"Welcome home, son. How was the mission?" asked his father, placing a hand on top of Ketsueki's head. The red-haired child gently smiled.

"Orochimaru escaped. We couldn't find where he ran off to, so we came back," he responded.

"Better luck next time, eh?" his father chuckled out before leaving the room.

Ketsueki sat down on his bed, staring outside of the window. Crickets outside could be heard, as it was just past midnight. Even the palace was almost completely silent. Ketsueki was the only ANBU from the Kuraiya clan, so nobody else should be coming back to wake anyone up. Ketsueki's attention averted to the full moon, which was slightly red.

_A red moon? That's not something you see everyday. Weird..._

He then laid down on his back before falling asleep.

When he opened his eyes, it was still dark outside. The red hue of the moon darkened, but Ketsueki didn't bother to look at it again. Yawning a bit, he jumped out of bed, walking downstairs to get a glass of water. He stood before the door leading to the main complex of the palace, stopping to stretch a little.

"What's that noise?" he asked himself before opening the door.

As soon as he did, blood splattered over his face. Ketsueki's eyes widened as he was looking at his mother with a sword in her chest. She fell to the ground, already dead, as her blood continued to pour out of her body.

"Mother...?" he said quietly. Standing in front of him now was an ANBU member, his mother's blood also on the mask he wore. Ketsueki began to hyperventilate as he felt wetness on his feet. It was blood coming from the left side of the room.

Slowly turning his head, Ketsueki stared at the motionless bodies of his brothers and sisters.

"Sorry, kid. You're next," the ANBU member said, pulling the sword out of the dead woman's body.

"NO!" Ketsueki yelled at the top of his lungs, slamming his fist into the intruding shinobi's face, cracking the mask completely. The ninja fell onto his back, coughing out blood as he looked up to Ketsueki, whose eyes gleamed purple. The curse mark he was given upon his birth was finally awakening. 

Ketsueki roared incoherently as he jumped on top of the shinobi, slamming his fists onto his face over and over again. He was already dead by the second blow. His blood coated Ketsueki's body as he ran across the entire palace, slaughtering each and every last ANBU Black Ops member inside of the home. In less than a half hour, all one hundred and six of them were dead. Ketsueki then left the palace in search of the newly appointed Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki.

It didn't take long before he stood before Naruto.

"You're alive," Naruto said gently as he turned to him. Ketsueki cried hysterically before falling to his knees, screaming that he wanted an explanation. Naruto noted that Ketseuki survived because he was strong, and offered him to be his right-hand man. Agitated by this, Ketsueki charged forward, and the two fought that rainy night.

Naruto overpowered Ketsueki, and the two were now standing in front of the village gate.

"I see that I can't ever convince you to stay loyal to Konoha, so... leave this village, Ketsueki," said the blonde Hokage. Ketsueki looked up to him, tears still forming in his eyes.

"What?! Why are you letting me go?! KILL ME!" Ketsueki demanded.

"I said it earlier. You're a very strong shinobi, especially for your age. I refuse to let you go to waste like that. But, if you _ever_ return to this village again, I promise you that's the day you're going to die, Ketsueki Kuraiya."

. . . . 

A slight smile formed on Ketsueki's lips as his eyes opened once more.

_ Well, Naruto, you died before you kept your promise. But on that day so long ago, you spared my life because I was strong. And now, I'll protect the Leaf for that same reason._

"Lord Ketsueki," started one of the shinobi in the front, "if you intend on protecting a village that condemned your clan, then we, shinobi who have never been hurt by the Leaf, are more than willing to help."  
  
Ketsueki nodded before turning around. 

"Thank you... truly, thank you. We now move as the Ketsueki Unit. We are to give military aid to Konoha... and to capture Gyatsō Mataba, dead or alive."


	30. Itachi's Resistance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything is going smoothly in Gyatsō's plans to destroy the Hidden Leaf Village. That is, until it doesn't. Itachi makes sure of that.

Akazo was panting on one knee with a slight smirk. Sasuke was standing next to him with his sword held out in front of his body.

Sasuke was lightly panting as well, but he lowered his blade as if the battle was over. In front of the two ANBU members were more than twenty enemy Oto shinobi, all of them laying across the ground in a defeated heap. Sasuke let out a sigh before sheathing his sword and looking down at his partner.

"You alright?" he asked, his Sharingan deactivating at the same time. Akazo nodded before standing, stretching his body while groaning a little. He was a bit envious of Sasuke's stamina yet he still decided to make light of it.

"Yeah, I'm good. That was some good training for you, huh?" he joked, causing the Uchiha to chuckle.

"Of course. But all jokes aside, we have to find Lady Hokage while the higher-ups think of what to do in this dire situation. Hopefully, the shinobi we have at our disposal right now are good enough to at least hold out the enemy inside the village," replied Sasuke, averting his eyes to a Konoha jonin some distance away.

"Wait, Sasuke. The first thing any of us would do is ensure the safety of the Hokage, so we should assume a different squad is already with her. Shouldn't we deal with the enemy still coming into the village?" asked Akazo, crossing his arms with impatience. Nobody should be talking this much while in the middle of an invasion, he thought.

"I suppose you're right. Just in case, make a few of those special clones of yours and send them to the Hokage. My shadow clones aren't durable enough," said Sasuke before turning around.

_U__shi__, __Inu__, __Uma__, __Hebi__, Tora._

Akazo would perform the according hand seals and slapped his palm on the ground before removing it quickly.

After a few short moments, a faint light engulfed the area before five exact copies of himself morphed from the ground. Without a word, the clones vanished, heading towards the centre of the village.

Sasuke and Akazo put on their ANBU masks before vanishing as well, rushing to the southern side of the village. 

Gyatsō would smirk widely as he opened his eyes, the scarlet flare of the Mūgetsu Shaolin illuminating the smoke-filled area. Multiple Konoha shinobi had surrounded him with their weapons already drawn. None of them actually charged at him yet, but all of them were trembling in fear.

"What's wrong? You all look as if you've seen a ghost," he cackled out, slowly levitating into the air. A few of the shinobi dropped their weapons and stared into his eyes, already fallen prey to his genjutsu. As for the rest of them, they weren't as lucky.

"The reality is, you haven't a ghost of a chance of even _touching_ me. Coming to me in a swarm like this is courageous, but the end result will forever be the same," said the white-haired shinobi, performing just a single hand seal with his right hand.

His Catastrophic Hell Flames engulfed the shinobi in a moment's notice. Not even a cry could be heard, they already left this world as soon as the jutsu was cast. Just as before, a crater was formed and the molten substance continued to push deeper into the ground.

Suddenly, Gyatsō fell to the ground, clutching the left side of his face with a hand.

_W__hat the hell is HE doing?!_

Gyatsō's left Mūgetsu eye soon formed into the regular Shaolin before morphing into Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan. Even though he was already fused with Gyatsō, it appears that the Uchiha clan member was attempting to resist Gyatsō's side of chakra.

"What's happening?!" Gyatsō demanded, gritting his teeth. Itachi's gentle voice soon filled his head, causing the enraged male to slam his fist into the ground, cracking it with ease.

"Gyatsō Mataba," the voice started, "I'm afraid that this childish game of yours is coming to an end by my hand."

Gyatsō looked down at his left hand, which was now morphing into Itachi's. Was Itachi trying to force his way out of the fused being?

"You impotent little... how about you stay in your place, which is _nowhere_?!" Gyatsō roared as he slowly rose his right hand. He smirked again, knowing full well the jutsu needed to halt Itachi's progress.

Before he could manage to perform a hand seal, Itachi's hand gripped Gyatsō's throat before slamming his body into the ground with brute force.

The left side of Gyatsō's face continued to morph into Itachi's. In very little time, the entire left side of his body was the young Uchiha male's.

"Very soon, Gyatsō, _your_ place is going to be in the afterlife," said Itachi. Itachi's body soon began to stretch away from the right side of Gyatsō's body, attempting to break free from his shackled state within the Osore leader's conscious and body. In a matter of moments, Itachi was completely free, panting as he landed on the ground. Nonetheless, a smile was on his face.

Gyatsō was also laying on the ground, now motionless. After a grunt escaped his mouth, he opened both of his eyes before sitting up quickly, looking over to Itachi with an angry facial expression.

His left Mūgetsu was gone. Not only that, but the entire eye itself was missing.

Itachi's smile turned into a smirk as he realised his own right eye was gone. He closed the empty eye socket as he stood up, looking down at Gyatsō.

"I told you before that I will be the one to stop your plans. You failed to realise that a fusion can only be completed if both sides are content. If one were to resist, however..."

He pointed to Gyatsō's left empty eye socket. Gyatsō stared at him wide-eyed, gritting his teeth even harder. He's never felt so humiliated before, and to have that feeling given to him by Itachi himself only filled the man with rage.

"...Then the fusion can discontinue if that resisting side tries hard enough. Simple, really. But don't be alarmed, the very last person you fused with told me all this," Itachi noted.

_Doctorisha__?! He.. he betrayed me?! I'm the one who created that bastard!_ Gyatsō thought, taking in a deep breath before slowly standing up. Itachi squinted a bit as he focused on his enemy. The white haired male then looked over to the side before chuckling lightly.

"So be it. I'll regain my Mūgetsu through other means," Gyatsō told him, closing his left eye as a wide smirk spread across his lips.

"What?" said Itachi, uneasy.

Suddenly, Zuko landed on the ground next to Gyatsō, breathing heavily. His curse mark was fully activated, but his chakra was being depleted too quickly. At this rate, the boy would perish within minutes. Zuko got on his knees and coughed up blood before looking up to Gyatsō.

Gyatsō looked into Zuko's Mūgetsu and laughed uncontrollably, knowing victory would be his the moment he regains his own.

"No! Stay away!" Itachi yelled, dashing towards Zuko. The white-haired Taisega clan member roared loudly before punching at the air, the force of the wind sending Itachi sprawling back. Zuko then looked at Gyatsō again before bowing.

"My lord, I don't.. have much time left.. take my eyes, they'll regenerate for me shortly.. allow me to fight for you until my last breath!" he pleaded.

Without saying a word, Gyatsō slowly reached forward with a crazed smile. However, a sharp line of electricity quickly stabbed his hand, paralysing it.

"Now what?!" gasped Gyatsō, looking ahead. Zuko also turned his head to look forward.

Sasuke and Akazo were now standing above Itachi. Itachi looked up to Sasuke with a surprised look on his face, but Sasuke didn't look back. His Sharingan was dead set on Gyatsō.

"Sorry, but this fight is only getting started."


	31. The Uchiha Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Itachi briefs Akazo and Sasuke on their fearsome opponents, Gyatsō and Zuko. With the threat of Gyatsō taking his student's Mūgetsu Shaolin still in the air, the trio hatches a plan to split them apart.

****

"Now then," started Sasuke, his eyes still on Gyatsō. He didn't know who the white-haired man was, but he still wasn't going to let his guard down. In the short duration of watching what just transpired, he had already deduced that Gyatsō was the enemy.

His crimson Sharingan eyes glared into Gyatsō's Shaolin, prompting the younger of the Uchihas to ready an attack plan. Zuko was still on his knees, staring at the small line of blood escaping his master's wrist.

"Akazo, Itachi. We'll charge at the one on the left. The one on the right looks too injured to pose a threat to us," Sasuke said, unsheathing his sword with his free hand.

Akazo silently nodded as he, too, brought out his weapon. Gyatsō would grit his teeth as the electricity in his hand intensified, which caused the numbness in his body to spread.

Itachi would slowly stand up, his lips forming into a slight smile.

_I__t seems that you've grown to be quite the leader, __Sasuke__..._

"Yes, the one on the left is the one who orchestrated this attack on the village. His name is Gyatsō Mataba, and he wields the Shaolin. Up until now, he had an even more powerful version of those eyes, but I made sure to strip that away from him," Itachi explained, his remaining Sharingan manifesting into the Mangekyou.

"Shaolin? I've heard about those eyes when I was on a mission in Kusagakure," said Akazo, looking over to Itachi.

"But I was told the one who actually had it was the last member of the Taisega clan, so why do _two_ people have it?" Akazo asked him. Itachi pointed to Zuko, who was now glaring angrily at Sasuke. More specifically, at the hand that was currently keeping his master from getting his eyes.

"That boy is the Taisega clan member. Zuko Taisega. I assume Zuko gave his Shaolin to Gyatsō, but his own eyes regenerated thanks to the curse mark Orochimaru gave him quite some time ago. That's the only explanation that would make sense."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, looking over to his brother.

"Why do you know so much about these two?" he asked.

"A shinobi... I have allied myself with a man named Ketsueki Kuraiya. He freed me from Gyatsō's clutches and told me everything he knew. Gyatsō plans on taking over the village before the country itself, and then, other countries. What he seeks is global domination," he answered.

Sasuke chuckled a bit, remembering the skirmishes he had with members of the Kuraiya clan when he was younger.

"Kuraiya? Looks like those guys haven't died out either. Well, enough chitchat. Once we take these two down, this little plan of his is done for," Sasuke said before sprinting forward.

"Damnit, Sasuke, at least tell me when you're moving in!" Akazo would complain, catching up to his partner.

Gyatsō's eye flickered purple for a moment as he smirked lightly, not bothering to defend himself. Itachi noticed this as he was watching the male intently, and decided not to follow them.

"He can't move right now, Akazo. I'll finish him off quickly," yelled Sasuke, who was now in front of Gyatsō. He quickly flicked his wrist, sending the blade towards Gyatsō's chest. If it connected, Sasuke would be sure that Gyatsō was finished.

"Almighty Push!"

Suddenly, a dome of air would forcefully push the ANBU member back, sending him crashing into Akazo. They both sprawled back in the air, but Itachi caught them before they hit the ground.

"I forgot to inform you that Gyatsō also has the Rinnegan," said Itachi, squinting a bit. He then stepped to the side and looked down to his brother.

"I saw him switch to it as you were coming towards him. Since he's paralysed due to that Chidori, he'll keep using those eyes to push you away from him. Sasuke, you know what that means, yes?" he asked.

Sasuke nodded, gritting his teeth as he got back on his feet. Any long-ranged jutsu of his would just be a waste of chakra, as Gyatsō would simply absorb jutsu with the Gakido path.

"Of course I do, but if I don't stop him from moving, he'll be an even bigger problem for us," he replied.

Akazo thought of an idea that could work, but only brought it up after realising Itachi was still thinking of a plan himself. But before he could say anything, a male voice came in from the background.

Everyone averted their attention to the pony-tailed jonin coming towards them.

Shikamaru Nara, the new head of the Nara clan, had been watching the ordeal the entire time. It appears that he also had a plan.

"Oh hey, it's you, Shikamaru! Just who I needed," chimed Akazo.

Itachi looked at the jet black haired man, wondering what he thought they should do.

"No time for talk right now. I already have a plan that'll work, no doubt. It's a drag seeing our elite shinobi like this," he sighed out, performing a single hand seal. His shadow began to slowly move towards Gyatsō in a single line.

"Sasuke, discontinue your jutsu to enable that guy to move again, before I hit him with my Shadow Possession. Akazo will use his special genjutsu to make sure he doesn't break away from my control. Then Akazo and I will move him away from this area while you and Itachi take down the younger guy."

"Do you weaklings really still think you can take me on?!" Gyatsō demanded, livid at the thought of being manipulated by Shikamaru's jutsu.

"Well, let's find out," chuckled Shikamaru, whose shadow was approaching Gyatsō at a faster speed.

The electricity inside of Gyatsō's body dissipated, but the male's freedom of movement was very short lived. Shikamaru had already taken control of Gyatsō's movements with his jutsu.

"Good work, Shikamaru. I'll perform the genjutsu before he tries to resist," said Akazo, walking towards Gyatsō. Shikamaru was following behind him, ready to relocate. With a single hand seal, Gyatsō was under the influence of genjutsu.

His Shaolin deactivated as his body moved forwards with Shikamaru, who was sweating a bit. Fighting the enemy earlier had already worn him out.

"Quick, Akazo. Come on!"

"Sasuke, Itachi, I'll handle Gyatsō, you two take out Zuko!"

Shikamaru and Gyatsō ran out of sight with Akazo following close behind.

Zuko would cough out some blood as he slowly tried to rise to his feet, but the pain throughout his body forced him to stop moving. A tear streamed down his cheek as he realised he wouldn't die in Gyatsō's presence. In his eyes, he was failing his master.

"Tch, how pathetic. This guy reminds me of Kimimaro Kaguya. Swearing loyalty to a trash human being," said Sasuke, retrieving his sword from some rubble. Itachi looked over to Zuko before deactivating his Mangekyou Sharingan, seeing no threat from him any longer.

"Just like us, Zuko was a prodigy from a notable clan. Well, the Taisega clan bloodline ends today. Just like Gyatsō. The Shaolin will become a relic of our shinobi world, but it must be done in order to end the hatred those eyes illuminate."

Sasuke walked over to Zuko, his weapon drawn at his side. A faint light glared against the blade of the sword. He slowly rose it, placing it above the Taisega's head.

"Any last words?" he asked.

"I did... indeed fail.. Lord Gyatsō... but... I will keep.. f-fighting.. for _his_ sake!" Zuko replied softly, looking up at Sasuke with an angry expression.

Sasuke stared into Zuko's cold eyes before raising the sword.

"You will never fight again, Zuko Taisega. You're dead."

He brought the sword down swiftly. Blood quickly dripped onto the ground.

Sasuke's eyes widened as Zuko had caught the blade with his hand, slashing that instead.

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S DEAD, SASUKE!!" roared Zuko, his white hair dancing wildly as his dark chakra engulfed the area. He then brought his hand into a fist, cracking Sasuke's sword before bounding forwards with a piece of the blade.

Itachi appeared directly in front of Zuko, blocking the younger male's attack with a kunai.

Zuko's maniacal laughter caused the ground itself to rumble as his Mūgetsu Shaolin flared in anger. Itachi and Sasuke both had their Sharingan activated as they jumped back.

"That's the power of his curse mark and his eyes combined," Itachi gasped, immediately recalling seeing Zuko in this state in their earlier fight.

Black markings slowly spread on Sasuke's skin as he gritted his teeth.

Zuko would stand up and wipe away his tears before quickly running towards the Uchiha brothers.

"I'M... GONNA SPEND MY LAST MOMENTS... IN THIS LIFE... RIPPING YOU TWO TO SHREDS!!"

Orochimaru smirked to himself as he slowly turned around, crossing his arms as his eyes met Nori's. A large marking was on her forehead and under her eyes, resembling her great grandfather Hashirama's Sage Mode.

"Orochimaru... you... bastard...!" the Hokage started, clenching her fist as she ran towards him. Her wounds were simultaneously healing and boosting her chakra reserves.

"I didn't know you mastered Sage Mode, Nori! Well then, let's have some fun, shall we?" he cackled out, infuriating the woman even more.

Nori's villagers were dying around the village, but she was intent on killing Orochimaru before leaving to heal them.

"You shut your damn mouth... I swear on my life, I'm going to take you down, once and for all!"


	32. Nori vs. Orochimaru

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nori survived her fatal injuries thanks to Sage Mode. Vowing to protect the Hidden Leaf with all her might, the Sixth Hokage engages Orochimaru in a one-on-one bout.

The jet black hair of the female Hokage danced fiercely in the chaotic wind as she approached Orochimaru faster, her every step increasing in power as the ground began to crack underneath her very feet. The sly Sannin kept his signature smirk, a smirk demanding for more pandemonium in the village that he once called his home.

Orochimaru wasn't blind to Nori's tremendous strength. The last time he underestimated Tsunade, it nearly cost him his life. Being fully aware of the Senju blood running through the woman's veins, the Sannin wanted to tire out Nori before dealing the fatal blow. But since Nori was a Senju with Sage Mode, he knew it'd be like going against the legendary Hashirama Senju himself.

_ Great strength, indeed, but the __Hokage__ has to die in order for Gyatsō to maintain full control of the village, _he thought before dashing forward, sword in hand. When he and Nori were mere inches apart, Orochimaru attempted to slice the woman's chest, but she caught the blade with just two fingers. Nori would then roar, applying pressure to crack the sword in half.

The Sannin lost his smirk as he now looked slightly worried as Nori lunged her fist forward, catching Orochimaru square in the jaw. The feeling reminded him of when Tsunade did the same thing long ago when all three Sannin were in a fierce battle.

Orochimaru was sent sprawling back in the air and landed on the ground with a loud thud. When he looked up, Nori was already above him, moving her leg down in an attempt to slam it into his head. Orochimaru quickly moved his head to the side, avoiding a fatal injury as the ground cracked when the woman's foot made contact.

Nori gritted her teeth as she struggled to move. The force of the attack caused her leg to become stuck in the earth underneath her, hindering her movement. Orochimaru slightly smirked, his long, snakelike tongue already wrapping around Nori's torso. Forcing her up, he constricted her more as to hold her in place.

"Come now, Hokage! Where's that fighting spirit of yours the Senju possesses?!" he cackled out.

Raising his arms, he then proceeded to send fast, hard punches to Nori's face. After about 20 seconds of such blows, Nori flung up her hands, catching Orochimaru's.

"What?!" he gasped, shocked to her sudden defence.

"If you wanna see it so badly, I'll gladly show you!"

With another roar, she headbutted him hard, forcing the Sannin to release her as he was pushed back, a small line of blood flowing out of his nostrils. Orochimaru jumped back, gritting his teeth as his angry eyes fixated on the smaller woman.

Slowly wiping away the crimson red blood with a knuckle, he slapped his hands together before performing multiple hand seals. Nori rose her fists in an act of defence, bracing herself for whatever Orochimaru would soon launch at her.

"I must admit, I always avoided using this jutsu unless I was in a life-or-death situation," he started, accelerating his hand movements. The slight compliment caused Nori to smirk, pride glistening in her eyes to hear she was pushing a Sannin to this limit.

"It's not so much as life-or-death, you bastard. I _swear _that I'm going to kill you here, you've meddled with my village for far too long! I'm going to show you the power of the Hokage!" she declared loudly, slamming her foot on the ground.

Orochimaru stared at Nori for a short time, seeing her as Tsunade at that moment. Everything about the young woman reminded him of his former comrade. Her words, her face, even her fighting style.

"She really does take after Tsunade, but she's still too weak. Looks like I had nothing to worry about, as always," Orochimaru said to himself, slowly regaining his sinister facial expression.

"What was that?!" Nori boomed, now running towards Orochimaru. She already knew that her Sage mode wouldn't last too long, for her Sage jutsu chakra was already rapidly depleting. Without the physical prowess given by the transformation, she concluded that she couldn't actually kill the Sannin. She had to finish things, fast.

"What good would telling you do when you're at death's door, my dear?" Orochimaru chimed, still performing hand seals.

_What the hell kind of __jutsu__ requires so many hand signs? I better not drop my guard, _thought Nori as she reached Orochimaru, throwing fast punches and kicks. Orochimaru dodged each blow, his reaction speed much faster than the woman's own. Nori's speed was diminishing by the second, thus Orochimaru became less caring about his own movements.

"Damnit!" Nori yelled, gritting her teeth roughly as the markings under her eyes slowly began to fade away to Orochimaru's delight.

"Is this the limit of your Sage mode?! I don't even have to use this forbidden jutsu to kill you, how distasteful!" Orochimaru cackled out, launching a sudden counterattack. With one swift, hard kick from the Sannin, Nori was sent back sliding on the ground in a panting mess. Her once straight, black hair was now messy, her bangs sticking to her forehead due to her sweat.

"Honestly," Orochimaru started, standing above the woman. He held the grip of his sword tightly as he pointed it at her face. Nori looked at the blade to see her own reflection in the metal before her eyes met Orochimaru's.

His fierce, green hues peered into hers, her conscious, and somehow, her entire being. For the first time in years, Nori actually felt scared for a second.

"You're the most pathetic Hokage this village has ever had, and I've been close to three of them. The power of the Hokage means _nothing_ to me, and soon, you won't either," said Orochimaru. Nori's remark about the Hokage's power seemed like nothing more than naïveté to him. "Hokage" was just the title for the biggest fool in the village.

"Why are you doing this?! You swore loyalty to Konoha after the last war, didn't you?! What happened?!" Nori demanded, slowly rising to her feet.

"As I said earlier, I'm not saying anything to a woman on her deathbed," Orochimaru replied.

"Don't you remember what your sensei, Lord Third, said to you before you betrayed the village so many years ago?!"

"That I'll become yet another criminal whose hands will be stained with the blood of those I care about? You foolish woman, Sarutobi sensei was just a senile old buzzard who failed the village. Hokage after Hokage, you're all just tools feeding a worthless cause," he replied, crossing his arms.

Nori's eyes widened in anger as she balled her fists, her nails digging into her flesh. A small line of blood escaped through the cut.

"And what would that worthless cause be, specifically?" she asked.

"Protecting the Leaf, of course. This village is nothi-"

Nori interrupted Orochimaru by smashing her fist into his face as hard as she could, sending him crashing into a pool of debris. Hearing him disrespect the village itself set Nori aflame inside, her burning passion to defend Konoha radiant in her eyes.

"Don't you dare say that in front of me, you snake bastard!" she yelled, holding onto her damaged hand. She had fractured her knuckles with that punch, but it was worth it. Although her Sage mode had completely diminished now, it appeared that there was some secret power Nori still held onto. Her Will of Fire!

Orochimaru would slowly emerge from the debris, a hand covering his damaged face. He didn't want to give Nori the satisfaction of seeing him injured to that extent. Some of his blood dripped onto the ground.

"How's that, huh?! I hope you're ready for another," said Nori with a slight smile, quickly dashing towards Orochimaru once more.

"You can't do anything in that state, so just die, Hokage..."

Orochimaru quickly uncovered his face, revealing his tongue wrapping around his sword. Nori gasped and tried to jump back, but the pain in her hand caused her to stop in her tracks. The Sannin jumped forward to shove the blade deep in Nori's chest. Her blood coated Orochimaru's face as he smirked widely, both of them falling onto the ground with the Sannin kneeling above her.

Panting lightly, Orochimaru slowly stood up to look behind him, Hikari's blue eyes meeting his. Hikari's blonde hair gently swayed in the wind as he wordlessly looked over to Nori's body before looking back at the Sannin.

Orochimaru's tongue hesitantly released the sword and went back into his mouth as Hikari now studied Nori's body for vital signs.

"No need for that, boy. The Hokage is dead."

"Hmph. Orochimaru..."


	33. The Ketsueki Unit Arrives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Followed by his army of rogue shinobi, Ketsueki Kuraiya races to his home village, determined to put an end to the Hidden Dark Nation's invasion.

The Ketsueki Unit's members were full of confidence thanks to the undying will of Ketsueki himself. They were now in the outskirts of the Hidden Leaf and quickly progressing to the battlefield. 

The Unit comprised of nearly one hundred shinobi that joined Ketsueki in his declaration of peace for the shinobi world. They knew and they understood the misfortunes Ketsueki went through in his life and acknowledged them to shape him into the leader they all greatly respect today. Some members were hand-chosen, others met Ketsueki during his travelling and joined him along the way.

"Everybody," Ketsueki started, turning his head a bit to address his ninja. Ketsueki was at the very front of the horde of shinobi rushing to the village's aid, his second and third-in-command by his side. To his left was his second-in-command, a shinobi formally known by the Stone as Isamu of the Kamizuru clan. 

After the Kamizuru were executed by Konoha's Aburame clan with ease following the Third Great Ninja War, Isamu's status as a high ranking official in the village declined until he was a laughingstock throughout the Land of Earth. Isamu was invited into the Unit some time later, although he rejected at first. Now the two see themselves as equals.

"I know what you're going to say," the long brown haired male said, looking over to Ketsueki. The Kuraiya clan member gently smiled at his comrade before looking ahead, eyeing several civilians from Konoha hoping to escape the chaos within their village. Ketsueki quickly looked to his right once he felt a hand lightly clasp his shoulder, peering into the eyes of his third-in-command, the current Jinchuriki of the Seven Tails, Minae of Takigakure. 

Minae comforted Ketsueki with a warm smile, saying, "Don't worry, we'll tend to the villagers, too." The shorter, orange-haired woman worked with Ketsueki during his time in the Hidden Waterfalls, so she had no problem agreeing to his request of her joining the organisation. Minae wanted to make use the once hated Tailed Beast inside of her for the greater good of the world, something Ketsueki often commends.

"Thanks, you two, but I really have to say something to all of us. A leader has to get his message across, right?" asked Ketsueki.

Isamu and Minae nodded.

"Everybody, listen up!" boomed the red-haired male so that everyone could hear him. 

"We'll be separating into two groups to help Konoha, assault and support groups. Obviously, the assault group engages the enemy to reduce their numbers, whereas support guides the villagers to safety and heal them," he yelled, starting to perform multiple hand seals.

_ Going with that already, huh? Looks like Red is itching to fight these Hidden Dark guys, _thought Isamu with a slight smirk.

"If you have jutsu intended for direct confrontation with the enemy, you're with Isamu and I! We're entering the village via the southern gates, so get ready! If you have jutsu intended for support, follow Minae through the southeastern gates now!"

With that, over half of the shinobi detoured with Minae, while the other half quickly followed behind Ketsueki and Isamu.

Ketsueki closed his eyes, entering communication with the demon sealed within himself.

"Red, I'm performing the hand signs needed to unseal only five percent of your power. Do me a favour and keep that energy stored for later, alright? It's been a while since we collaborated, but it's time for us to go all out," he said with a confident glare.

The ominous humanoid slowly nodded at him, performing a single hand sign.

Ketsueki opened his now crimson red eyes, peering at the entrance gates to Konoha. He could barely see anything due to the smoke and fire in the vicinity, but he quickly noticed that some injured Oto shinobi were fleeing the village.

"Engage the enemy ahead and then set off for assault! We can't allow Gyatsō Mataba to take control of the village!"

Akazo, lightly panting, would point his sword at the still immobile Gyatsō, whose face was reddened in anger. Akazo knew that it wasn't a good idea to separate himself from the stronger Uchiha brothers, but an unstable Zuko would be too much for him to handle. He didn't know much about Gyatsō, but he was sure that he was vulnerable now.

"I really gotta thank Shikamaru after this. Hey, Gyatsō, how does it feel knowing that you're gonna die in a few moments?" he taunted. 

"You're just a minuscule insect attempting to tie a black widow into its own web. You, a foolish child drowning in his own naïveté, will soon bear witness to the power I've attained," replied Gyatsō, not letting himself be ridiculed. 

Akazo gritted his teeth, directing the blade inches away from Gyatsō's face.

"And _you'll_ be bearing witness to the Will of Fire very soon, you bastard. Why are you even doing this? You're only gonna provoke many other wars with the rest of the Five Great Nations, are you really that sure of yourself?" he demanded the older male.

Gyatsō looked into Akazo's eyes, composing himself to make a straight face. Akazo squinted a bit in uncertainty. 

"My goal is to take control of _all_ nations, I've no problem with fighting them. In time, they will all learn that resistance is futile against the Hidden Dark," replied the white-haired shinobi.

"And you don't think failure's a possibility when you do drastic things like this?!"

"You're rather late in asking that. A long time ago, I've concluded that anything that isn't in my favour is simply a genjutsu, and with my Shaolin, I'll break through said genjutsu with minimal effort," he replied.

Akazo slowly pressed the blade against Gyatsō's forehead, cutting his flesh. A barely noticeable line of blood escaped the cut and slowly crept its way down Gyatsō's face.

"So if I shoved this sword into your head... that'd be genjutsu to you?" Akazo asked gently, annoyed with Gyatsō already.

"Anything that isn't in my favour is simply a genjutsu."

"Let's see if you can break out of it, then!"

As soon as Akazo applied pressure to the sword in order to cut Gyatsō, he was pushed back with great force, such force that even the ground under them quaked. Akazo heavily crashed onto the ground metres away, giving sight of the chakra Gyatsō used in that Almighty Push.

With his entire body aching, Akazo struggled to get onto his feet. Before we could manage to get a foot up, Gyatsō had already appeared above him with his own sword. Akazo widened his eyes as he suddenly realised the situation he was in.

"How ironic is it," Gyatsō started with a soft chuckle, "That you'll fall to your own weapon? Tell me."

"H-how the hell... did you counter the Shadow Possession Jutsu... _and_ my paralysis technique?!" Akazo demanded, struggling to even talk due to the immense pain he was feeling.

"Are you forgetful, naïve one? All misfortune before me is an illusion," he replied.

_That weird dojutsu of his, _thought Akazo._ The Shaolin... can it dispel both ninjutsu and genjutsu?!_

"I commend you for your... attempt. Unfortunately for you, your time has come. All who resist must die. You are no exception. I bid you farewell," said Gyatsō as he held the blade above Akazo's neck.

_ S_ _orry, Sasuke, looks like this is it for me. But, at least... I died fighting strongly for the village. Just as father did._

Gyatsō brought the blade down swiftly, but Akazo felt nothing. Instead, he heard the sound of metal clashing as well as a gasp from Gyatsō. 

When he moved his head back up, he was looking at a red-haired male wielding a samurai sword. The red-haired male had blocked Gyatsō's attack.

"Gyatsō Mataba!" yelled Ketsueki, angrily looking into his enemy's eyes.

"You _again_... Ketsueki!!"


	34. Rebirth of an Avenger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke and Itachi work on finishing off a severely injured Zuko. Unbeknownst to them, however, the young Taisega clan member still has a few tricks up his sleeve, no matter how amateur they may seem.

Zuko continued to laugh uncontrollably as he neared the brothers faster, not caring that the chakra given by his Curse Mark was eating away at his remaining time left. 

He hated Itachi and Sasuke, he hated their clan, and he hated what they stood for. Even more so for Itachi due to his constant thwarting of Gyatsō's plans.

Sasuke gritted his teeth as he entered the second stage of his own Curse Mark, irritated by Zuko's persistence. 

Zuko really did remind him of Kimimaro, and was disgusted at how both of them reminded him of his past self. But as an immediate result, he grew somewhat thankful towards Akazo and his peers for not allowing him to stay that way. The death of his best friend, Naruto, also took a toll on Sasuke to prevent him from causing harm to the village Naruto loved so much.

"Damnit," he said to himself as his brighter hair extended to his waist. Itachi flashed him a quick glance before dashing forward, with Sasuke following behind him.

"Itachi. Let me in on whatever plan you've got," said Sasuke, displeased with the silence of his brother. They both knew communication was key to defeating such an unreadable opponent.

"We can't put him under genjutsu, so we either stall until he succumbs to his injury, or quickly end him right now," replied Itachi, performing multiple hand seals.

"What about Tsukuyomi? He can't break out of that."

"There's two problems with that, Sasuke. I can't even perform the Tsukuyomi, as I lost my left eye upon separating with Gyatsō. Also, Gyatsō broke out of Tsukuyomi with his standard Shaolin before, so even if I could use it, we should assume Zuko can do the same thing," Itachi replied. He then inhaled deeply before blowing out a large sphere of flames.

_Fire Style: Blaze Ball!_

Zuko arched his back as he threw himself into the fire, but Itachi instantly noted that the black, solidified chakra from earlier covered his body, absorbing the flames with ease before any harm came his way.

_It's the same dark chakra from earlier, _he thought, remembering for a brief moment the time Zuko sent such chakra his way in their previous battle. The substance resembled that of the Truth-Seeking Orbs, yet it was supposedly just chakra. Itachi knew too little in order to formulate a counter to it. His thinking was interrupted when Sasuke suddenly dashed past him.

"If that's the case, the one who should be leading our attack is _me_," said the younger Uchiha male, black electricity already forming in his hand.

"No, Sasuke!" Itachi yelled, but his words fell on deaf ears. 

With Sasuke and Zuko a few feet apart, Sasuke shoved his arm towards Zuko's body, but the boy's reaction time surpassed his speed. He caught Sasuke's arm with a hand full of his dark chakra, which immediately dispelled the ninjutsu.

"GOTCHA! YOU'RE DEAD!" boomed the white-haired male as he directed his other hand to Sasuke's neck. The chakra fizzling around his clawed fingers aided in deepening the cut. With just another swift motion, Zuko succeeded in slicing off Sasuke's head with a blood-lusted roar.

**Poof!**

Sasuke's body quickly dissipated into a puff of smoke, indicating he was a shadow clone. Itachi gasped lightly, trying to figure out how Sasuke managed to slip the hand signs for his clone technique past his Sharingan.

Zuko didn't react to the ruse, as his mind was almost fully under Mirage's control. He kept stumbling forward towards Itachi, intending to finish him off as well.

_ I see now, Sasuke._

He noticed that his little brother was now some distance away. Sasuke closed his eyes as he began to perform hand seals at almost lightning speed.

_You're going to have me stall __Zuko__ as you charge one of your most powerful __jutsu__ to ambush him with. Quite the risky thing to do..._

He was glad that the visual prowess of the Shaolin wasn't nearly as strong as the Sharingan's, otherwise, Zuko would have found out what Sasuke's plan was in an instant.

Itachi smiled gently as his eyes now focused on Zuko, who was rushing towards him faster than before. The older Uchiha male dodged Zuko's near lightning speed attacks with ease, which as a result caused Zuko to make his blows unpredictable.

"It seems you haven't gone completely insane yet... However," Itachi started, gritting his teeth a bit as he jumped back, his feet skidding against the ground below him.

Zuko's breathing hindered as he clutched his chest before falling to the ground face-first. After a brief moment, he stopped moving completely.

Itachi stared at Zuko's motionless body as he deactivated his Sharingan, redirecting his attention to his brother. Sasuke appeared at Itachi's side, looking over to Zuko's body. The disappointed male crossed his arms.

"Well that was anticlimactic," he sighed out. Itachi began to walk towards Zuko's body.

"I noticed that he was actually getting desperate in his attack. He knew that his time was already up, yet he still wanted to prove himself to Gyatsō by fighting the two of us. Do you know why?" Itachi softly asked, crouching above Zuko's body to turn him over.

Zuko's eyes were lifeless, and his Mūgetsu had already deactivated. Itachi concluded that he really was dead after failing to sense a pulse. Sasuke stood next to Itachi, frowning a little as he looked at Zuko's pale face.

"Anyone who serves Gyatsō Mataba is bound to be a lunatic, Itachi. It's best that we don't try to learn more about this dead guy. Enemy shinobi are still invading the village, you know," Sasuke replied.

"In any case, we have to keep his body. Whether the Taisega clan is extinct or not, Zuko possessed the Shaolin. The village's higher-ups would want to preserve such a treasure," Itachi said as he picked up Zuko's body.

Sasuke scoffed and turned around, still displeased by the outcome of the fight. He wanted to be the one to strike down Zuko, just as he did with Kimimaro previously. The male closed his eyes as he remembered Kimimaro's earlier words.

_ "No longer do I fight through physical means. Bodily wounds such as these? They won't be enough to kill me. My will to fight... and my ability to fight itself... comes from my spirit, through Lord _ _Orochimaru's_ _ ambition."_

"Sas...uke..."

Sasuke turned his head and looked into Zuko's eyes, before looking besides him to look at Itachi, who had a massive hole in the centre of his chest. Zuko smirked widely as he clenched his fist before pulling it out of Itachi's chest, covering himself with his blood.

"Wasting your time on a Reanimation when you could've gotten me instead? Zuko, you've only given yourself away," said Sasuke, walking towards the white-haired male.

"Look at your brother's dying face... and tell me if he's a Reanimation!!" Zuko yelled before breaking into a mad laugh.

Sasuke widened his eyes and immediately fell to his knees, turning Itachi's body over to look at his face. He felt his heartbeat increase drastically as he stared into his brother's eyes.

"Weren't you reanimated by Orochimaru earlier?" he asked Itachi, and felt his body cave in when he didn't receive a response. Itachi's hair gently swayed in the wind as the life in his eyes slowly faded. However, unlike last time, he didn't have a smile on his face.

_ Don't tell me..._

"I brought your... brother back to life... when I fought him earlier! I brought him back into the realm of the living... AND NOW I KILLED HIM!" cackled Zuko, clutching the right side of his face.

"So... you placed a genjutsu on us to make us think that you died," Sasuke said to himself as he stared at the ground before closing his eyes. The feeling of being humiliated and tricked by his opponent angered him, and the death of his brother for the second time greatly troubled Sasuke. He didn't know what was happening, but he felt too many emotions at once. Confusing emotions, conflicting emotions.

Zuko, still cackling, pointed his finger at Sasuke, still holding a grudge against him.

"And you, Sasuke Uchiha, will die next!!" he roared, charging at Sasuke.

Sasuke quickly looked up at Zuko with his eyes still wide. 

His Sharingan was different from before, in fact, it appeared completely different. Instead of the standard red iris with three black tomoe, his irises were black with three red ellipses that intersected over each other.

"Now that I've regained control of MY mind, there's no way I'll lose to you!!" roared Zuko, arching his back as he was now in front of Sasuke. He tried to kill Sasuke in the same manner, by causing tremendous damage to his chest.

_His eyes are different now, but what does that mean? _Zuko thought as he shoved his fist towards Sasuke's chest. 

Suddenly, Sasuke appeared behind Zuko with his sword, successfully stabbing Zuko from behind in the stomach. Zuko's eyes widened as he jumped forward, forcing the blade out of his body.

"W-what in the hell was that?!" Zuke demanded. His hair colour then began to change back to normal.

_Damnit, the curse mark is receding at a time like this!_

Sasuke stared into Zuko's eyes as he slowly walked forward, clutching his sword tighter in his fist. When he was an inch away from the male, he took a moment before quickly slicing at Zuko's neck, but Zuko moved his body away from the sharpened blade.

Expecting him to do this, Sasuke had already teleported to Zuko's new position and jabbed the sword into his stomach once again. With each passing second, Sasuke pushed the blade deeper into the younger male's flesh.

Zuko slumped over Sasuke's shoulder as he slowly grabbed his assailant's wrist, trying to pry the sword out of him, but to no avail. Sasuke had more strength than Zuko, so it wasn't hard to resist.

"Damn you," whispered out Zuko as he coughed out blood, gritting his teeth.

The Uchiha clan member slowly let go of the sword as Zuko dropped to _his _knees, knowing full well he'd bleed out without Mirage's healing.

"We both know that I won't let you die _that_ easily," said Sasuke, speaking for the first time since he began his vengeance on Zuko.

Prying the sword out of Zuko's stomach, causing the younger male to writhe in agonising pain, Sasuke kicked his opponent onto the ground before shoving the sword back into the open wound. 

Sasuke's newly awakened Mangekyou Sharingan blared in the light as the whimpering of Zuko caused him to smile gently. He could never forgive him for what he did to Itachi, playing with his life as if it was some toy. Sasuke's ambition to fight alongside his brother has diminished thanks to this enemy, so there was only one thing he felt he had the right to do.

Once again pulling the blade out of Zuko's wound, the Uchiha clan member instead gripped it with both of his hands this time.

"Taisega... I'll make you _regret_ being born, you little bastard..."


	35. The Light Style

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Sasuke has killed off Zuko, Gyatsō finds himself fighting on his own. Matters are made even worse for him when Ketsueki begins tapping into Red's power. The leader of the Hidden Dark Nation finds it necessary to unleash his final trump card.

Gyatsō's infuriated eyes stared into Ketsueki's as he applied pressure to the sword, attempting to break the male's Sword of Sin in order to wound him, but to no avail.

Ketsueki would frown slightly as he bolted forward, quickly ramming an elbow into Gyatsō's stomach. The force of the blow caused Gyatsō to wince as he lost his grip on Akazo's sword before jumping back to create distance between them.

Akazo retrieved his sword before looking over to study Ketsueki, the shinobi Itachi spoke of earlier.

_ This is Ketsueki, huh? This guy sure does look intimidating. Thankfully, he's on my side._

Ketsueki pointed his sword to Gyatsō, who gritted his teeth as a response.

"I hope you're aware, Ketsueki Kuraiya... that it would do you little good to interfere once again. Your fate has already been decided, you will die here," said Gyatsō as he got back onto his feet.

"Silence yourself, Gyatsō. Without that Mūgetsu of yours, you have no means of protecting yourself from me," the red-haired male replied. Gyatsō stared at him before clenching his fists hard. Some blood was now dripping out the wound that was present in his hand, but he kept applying pressure to it.

_ This village would have been destroyed by now had I retained my Mūgetsu Shaolin. Damn that Itachi Uchiha. If he could just resist the jutsu, then the fusion wasn't perfected to begin with. That Orochimaru... always doing things his way. The same goes for that traitor Doctorisha. So many useless subordinates at my side now, and my more loyal ones are already dead. To proclaim my victory, I must __use_ _my_ _trump_ _card__._

He then ran towards Ketsueki.

The red-haired shinobi tore off the bandage wrapped around his head before dashing forward as well, quickly placing a cut on his own hand to prepare his kekkei genkai.

Gyatsō's remaining Shaolin devolved back into its first stage, which caught him off guard for a moment. He barely blocked Ketsueki's initial attack, which was a powerful kick towards his chest.

Catching his leg with a single hand, Gyatsō would immediately swing his body around in an attempt to make Ketsueki lose his balance, but the red haired shinobi jabbed his sword into the ground to stop his body from landing on the ground.

"Up here!" yelled Akazo, who was now in the air. Due to Gyatsō's position, he couldn't move, as Ketsueki also used Reddokarīngu to manipulate his blood into a thin line, which was already wrapped around Gyatsō's torso.

Performing multiple hand seals, Akazo blew a large fireball towards Gyatsō. Once the fireball reached its target, the white-haired male simply used his Dark Style jutsu to absorb the fire, dispelling the jutsu. 

"Don't use elemental ninjutsu, he just absorbs it!" Ketsueki warned as he quickly moved away from Gyatsō. He knew that the Osore leader could also repel the jutsu back to Akazo, and if he did, he was sure that he'd be able to stop it with water style ninjutsu.

Akazo gritted his teeth as he landed on the ground, taking out his sword in an attempt to slash Gyatsō in his back. The white-haired male's eyes momentarily gleamed purple before Akazo reached him. Ketsueki's eyes, trained to detect anything that might seem peculiar, noticed this at the same time.

"He's just alternating between the Shaolin and the Rinnegan? He's getting quite inexpedient," Ketsueki said to himself.

He then appeared in front of Akazo, quickly holding his arm out in front of him to stop him.

"He's using the Rinnegan, don't get too close to him now. I hope you know the jutsu he can use with those eyes," said Ketsueki, looking back at Akazo. The ANBU member slowly slid his sword back into its sheath.

"No ninjutsu or taijutsu then," said Akazo. Ketsueki took a moment before shaking his head, performing a single hand seal. Just as before, Ketsueki was about to utilise the power of Red.

"Not necessarily. I've a few tricks up my own sleeve, my friend. There's absolutely no hope left for Gyatsō, I've already decided to kill him," said Ketsueki before closing his eyes.

The blood wrapped around Gyatsō slowly turned into red mists before dissipating. Red mists also began to vent out of Ketsueki's body. When the ominous male finally opened his eyes, his pupils had changed into a more crimson colour. Akazo quickly noted that Ketsueki's hair also grew, but its texture thinned.

"Is this a curse mark, Ketsueki?" Akazo asked him, seeing some pretty similarities between the transforming Ketsueki and past curse mark users, although Ketsueki didn't have the signature black markings standard cure mark users had.

"You can say that," Ketsueki replied gently. Gyatsō stretched a bit, slightly relieved that he didn't have to expend any energy to free himself. He then scoffed at the transforming shinobi, eyeing him with interest.

"That's no curse mark, from what I can tell," he started, the Shaolin in his right eye slowly evolving back into its second stage. It seems that he used Ketsueki's earlier attack to steal some chakra with the Rinnegan's Gakido ability.

"Whatever it is, I will have no problem defeating you, Ketsueki. Now come."

"You're a dead man, Mataba."

Ketsueki was already at Gyatsō's side, which surprised the man himself. He knew that he had gotten faster since the last time he used Red's power, but he never expected his body to be able to move so effortlessly.

Gyatsō, who just realised Ketsueki was beside him, quickly brought up his right arm as an act of defence. Ketsueki swung a heavy fist towards him.

Once his fist came into contact with Gyatsō's arm, a sudden forceful gust of wind blew the white-haired male back quite some distance. He slammed his feet onto the ground to stop moving, eye widened with surprise.

Through the small cloud of smoke that emerged from his redheaded opponent's arm, Gyatsō saw a smirk upon the man's face. He started to perform multiple hand seals as he closed his eye.

_His physical prowess has improved drastically, but he's still shouldn't be too much of an issue, _he thought.

He would then extend both of his arms as Dark chakra engulfed them, forming a long makeshift blade on either arm. He was mimicking Sasuke's style of using his respective chakra nature to create weapons. Opening his eye, he then dashed forward, nearing Ketsueki by the second.

Ketsueki jumped into the air to evade Gyatsō, but his opponent went up after him in a furious assault. Smoke had also emerged from Ketsueki's feet after this jump. Gyatsō smirked lightly to himself as a hypothesis came to mind. Keeping this hypothesis, he continued his attack, swinging the blades towards Ketsueki's torso.

With a single movement, Ketsueki evaded this attack as well, before appearing behind Gyatsō midair. Gyatsō, paying close attention to the way Ketsueki moved, caught the redhead off guard by suddenly turning his body around to jab one of the blades deep into his stomach. 

Ketsueki slightly opened his mouth as a line of blood escaped his mouth. Both of them crashed onto the ground with Gyatsō kneeling above Ketsueki. The blade was still inside of him.

"Underestimating a man of _my_ ability just because you have that silly transformation will bring forth your death," said Gyatsō. Ketsueki kept his smirk on his face as he reached for Gyatsō's neck, before abruptly stopping. Instead, he opened his palm. Gyatsō, slightly confused, looked at it, before noticing a small cut in the centre of it.

"Reddokarīngu Black is the ultimate variant of my kekkei genkai. That's right... my blood has hardened to the point of where it turns black," said Ketsueki, his crimson red hair creepily dancing underneath him.

A black liquid would then emerge from the cut, striking Gyatsō in the face with such speed that he couldn't move out of the way in time. He was sent back with great force and crashed into a damaged house.

Ketsueki slowly got to his feet as both he and Akazo looked over to the left. Sasuke appeared on top of a pile of rubble, looking over to where Gyatsō just crashed. His Mangekyou Sharingan blared in the light as he redirected his attention to Ketsueki.

"Are you the shinobi Itachi spoke of?" he asked, placing a hand on his hip. Ketsueki smiled lightly before turning his body, looking into the Uchiha member's eyes.

"Yes, I'm Ketsueki," he replied.

_His eyes... Mangekyou Sharingan, huh?_

"Sasuke, where's Itachi?" asked Akazo, who appeared at his partner's side. He didn't know the conditions in which the Mangekyou is awakened, but Ketsueki did. Long before he started his travels, all the way back to when he was a teenager, he studied the noble clans of Konoha to understand a bit more of the village's diversity clan-wise, mostly the Uchiha.

_ I see why his eyes evolved _no_w__. __It_ _isn't_ _easy_ _watching_ _your_ _siblings_ _die__, __Sasuke__. __I_ _would_ _know__._

Sasuke looked down to Akazo, taking a brief moment before replying. He was still angered at the fact that his Sharingan, no, his clan itself was mocked by Zuko's weaker genjutsu. The sudden death of his brother also contributed to his anger. Killing Zuko in the ruthless fashion he did wasn't enough, he wanted Gyatsō to pay as well.

"...Itachi died in the battle, Akazo."

Akazo widened his eyes as he stared up at Sasuke before looking down to the ground, clenching his fist in frustration. He didn't want to question anything else, immediately taking into consideration Sasuke's feelings at the moment. The only thing he said was that he was sorry for Sasuke's loss.

"It's fine... it's not like Zuko Taisega died in too much of a pleasant way himself. The fact is, he tricked us with a genjutsu, and my brother paid for it. Not to worry, though," Sasuke started, gripping the right side of his face. He widened his left eye, forming a slight smile as the elliptic pattern in his Mangekyou spun rapidly.

"These eyes _demand_ to see Zuko and Gyatsō dead at my feet. They have awakened under that order. I plan on seeing that out."

Sasuke would then appear next to Ketsueki, once again looking at the rubble Gyatsō was underneath. Akazo, too, appeared next to his comrades.

"Don't think you're hogging all the fun," said Akazo with a smile. Sasuke looked at Akazo with a nonchalant face, slightly offended by his comment.

"I'm avenging my brother, Akazo. To me, this isn't for fun," he said. Ketsueki crossed his arms, letting out a small sigh.

"Gyatsō Mataba's plans will be brought to an end by my hand, I will not back down because of you, Sasuke."

Suddenly, Gyatsō would emerge from the rubble, dashing towards the trio of shinobi with his eye closed. Sasuke placed a hand on the grip of his sword before dashing towards him as well.

"Rushing in blind, huh? Are you begging to die already?" he yelled.

"Sasuke, get back here!"

Ignoring his partner, Sasuke's eyes flickered before he appeared at Gyatsō's side, flinging his arm vertically. The tip of the sword had just touched Gyatsō's shoulder before the black haired male was sent back with great force, gritting his teeth as he crashed onto the ground behind Akazo and Ketsueki.

"He closed his eye to hide the fact he switched to Rinnegan?" asked Akazo, to which Ketsueki nodded.

The Kuraiya clan member then extended his hand, before a massive amount of black blood poured from his wound. It formed into a ball and shot towards Gyatsō. He knew that it'd reach Gyatsō before the five second time interval for using the Almighty Push again.

Gyatsō quickly opened his eye, revealing the Shaolin once again. Ketsueki gritted his teeth, impressed with how quickly he learned how to alternate between the two dojutsu. Dark chakra manifested in front of Gyatsō, which acted as a shield should any more projectiles be launched at him.

The white-haired male had stopped moving by now, but he kept the shield up. Slowly extending his hand, Gyatsō's eye gleamed purple before Ketsueki's body suddenly lunged towards him.

"That's the Universal Pull," gasped Ketsueki as Gyatsō gripped his neck, slamming him into the ground. Gyatsō stared down at Ketsueki, who gritted his teeth as his patience was running low. Taking advantage of his superior strength, he headbutted Gyatsō before kicking him off.

Gyatsō jumped back, crouching to the ground as Akazo and Sasuke once again appeared next to Ketsueki.

"I've had it with you three nuisances... I plan on creating your graves right where we stand after I unleash my trump card," said Gyatsō as he got back onto his feet.

"Trump card?" asked Sasuke.

Ketsueki took a step forward, not responding to Gyatsō's comment. With each passing second, he was being filled up with Red's bloodlust. He was going to kill Gyatsō. The white-haired male noticed the look in Ketsueki's eye before scoffing.

"You will die for the sake of _m_y shinobi world... Light Style: Eternal Luminance!!"

"Did he say _Light _Style?!"

Gyatsō extended his arms with a wide smirk. A blinding light suddenly engulfed the area they were in before the entire village was consumed by this light. The sounds of battle were hushed by this light, but only for a few seconds. When the light dispersed, Sasuke and Ketsueki were now lying unconscious on the ground.

Akazo was still conscious, but he was also on the ground, unable to move. When he finally regained his vision, he looked over to see Gyatsō shove Sasuke's own sword into his chest, before doing the same thing to Ketsueki.

"What the hell just happened...?!" Akazo asked himself. Gyatsō looked over to the younger male before slowly walking towards him. When he was standing above him, he knelt down and grabbed Akazo by the hair to pull his body off of the ground.

Akazo looked into Gyatsō's crimson red eye before looking down to the blood covered sword. A faint light glimmered against the steel blade.

"The Mataba clan of the Hidden Grass Village. I inherited their secret technique. Call it my true kekkei genkai," said Gyatsō.

"What... _are_ you?!"

"I am Gyatsō Mataba, a man that has evolved into a god of war. Let's continue our earlier skirmish, shall we?"


	36. One Who Leads to Peace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The very first battle of the Fifth Great Ninja War has reached its conclusion... with the Hokage dead and his Hidden Leaf enemies rendered unconscious thanks to his Light Style kekkei genkai, Gyatsō Mataba has successfully taken control of the Hidden Leaf Village.

Gyatsō would take a moment before lowering the blade until it was above Akazo's head. The dark-haired ANBU member closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, angered at the fact that this was the second time he was bested by Gyatsō, even more so since these were the exact same circumstances that made him brace for death earlier. 

Akazo truly felt inferior to Gyatsō, whether he wanted to or not. To him, it didn't matter how Gyatsō attained such power and strength, the fact is he has it.

"Have you finally come to terms with your death, boy? There is nobody here to stop me like last time," Gyatsō said quietly. Akazo couldn't make out what he said entirely, as he was still slightly disoriented from that immense light attack. 

When he failed to respond, the white-haired male instead moved the blade to above his hand before shoving it down, pushing the steel until it came out the other side of Akazo's hand.

Akazo's teeth would grind harder as he writhed and scratched his fingers into the earth as he looked up to Gyatsō with an enraged facial expression. The Osore leader stared into Akazo's eyes before slamming a foot against the young man's face in retort and smiled in satisfaction when he spat out a tooth. 

Gyatsō felt free to let his anger take over him. Failing to retain the Mugetsu Shaolin; being forced to use his trump card against a group of ninja he thought he was superior to; having stages of his plan continually stopped - all of his frustrations went into the beating he gave to Akazo.

By the time he stopped stomping on the younger male's bruised face, Gyatsō was lightly panting. He looked down at his foot that was resting on top of Akazo's head and composed himself to remove it. He then slowly crouched to lift up his opponent's head with a single finger.

"Go to hell," Akazo spat out. Gyatsō ignored the small drops of spit that landed on his face. 

Without giving the male a verbal response, Gyatsō's hand tightly clutched Akazo's neck and applied even more pressure to lift him up to his feet. Akazo's eyes began to grow faint as he felt his life being squeezed out. 

He was unsure why Gyatsō just chose not to fatally stab him, but he found himself to be caring very little as his hands tried to force the shinobi to let go. After a very short while, Akazo's body forced itself to give up.

Gyatsō let go of the still male's body before he could die. No, Gyatsō wouldn't just kill Akazo off right now as he did to others. He wanted him to suffer in prison along with the other shinobi who tried to intervene.

Turning his back to the fallen Sasuke, Ketsueki, and Akazo, Gyatsō would redirect his attention to the male who was approaching him. It was Hikari, who seemed to have been untouched by Gyatsō's kekkei genkai. 

Hikari looked over to the bodies before looking at Gyatsō and bowed his head with respect.

"I'm assuming you used the Light Style to defeat them," said the blonde haired male.

Gyatsō nodded.

"Konoha is mine now. Very soon, this village will be transformed into a part of my Hidden Dark Nation," Gyatsō replied. Hikari smiled lightly at his superior's delight for taking control of the village.

"The Hokage is dead. Who will be the main head of authority within the village specifically, Lord Gyatsō?" Hikari asked, taking a second to look at the damaged Hokage Stone Faces.

"I would appoint you as leader of this soon-to-be province, but I require your assistance in overthrowing the remaining Great Nations. I told you long ago that you'd get your revenge on the Stone through me, do you feel indifferent towards your vengeance?" asked the Osore leader.

Hikari closed his eyes as he clutched his fist, memories of the harassment he received from the village flooding his mind.

"Of course I do, my liege."

"Very well."

Gyatsō began to walk towards the northern part of the village in search of Orochimaru. Hikari followed him close behind. Smirking to himself, Gyatsō levitated through a window on the side of the Hokage Residence. 

Sitting comfortably in the seat of where Nori used to sit was Orochimaru with a wide smirk on his face.

"I knew that you would be here, Orochimaru," said Gyatsō as he crossed his arms. Orochimaru bowed his head in respect before standing up, rubbing his hand against the Hokage hat before picking it up. He wanted to put it on but decided not to. The Sannin gently chuckled to himself as he placed it back on the desk.

"It's all in good fun, Gyatsō. Truth be told, if not for that bastard Hiruzen, I'd be the one sitting in this chair right now," Orochimaru said with a grin. Gyatsō scoffed as he turned around.

"That is _Lord_ Gyatsō to you. Now come with me, I need you to perform the Reanimation."

"On whom, might I ask?"

"All of the deceased Osore members, other than Nagato and Konan. In the case he and Konan should ever die, Nagato asked me to never revive them. Since they were loyal subordinates to me, I'll respect his wishes. We are moving on to the Hidden Sand Village to do as we did here."

Orochimaru widened his eyes a bit as he followed Gyatsō and Hikari out of the building.

"We're leaving already? When your jutsu's effects come undone, who will lead my Sound into apprehending any resisting Leaf shinobi?" he asked. Gyatsō let out a sigh as he moved his arms to either side.

"Seiko will be appointed the new leader of the village, do not fret over trivial things," he replied. Orochimaru let out another soft chuckle as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Lord Gyatsō, if anything, what do you think of yourself?" he asked.

Gyatsō stopped walking as he looked into the Sannin's slit pupils.

"There's nobody on this earth that is superior to me. I am a being created from the failures of this shinobi world. I am the one who will lead this world to true peace," he replied.

"How fitting of you, the once weak Mataba child from the Hidden Grass, to say that so confidently," said Orochimaru.

Gyatsō began to walk forward once more, scoffing at Orochimaru's comment before replying.

"Well then, the weak Mataba child from the Grass has become a god."

The three shinobi now stood outside of the Hokage Residence. It was peacefully quiet outside, but the smoke was still hovering in the atmosphere. Corpses of both Konoha and Oto shinobi laid against cracked walls and damaged residences.

"I've perfected the Reanimation even more than that naïve Kabuto. It isn't required for me to possess the DNA of shinobi I resurrect, nor a human sacrifice. All I have to do is really concentrate on who I want to bring forth from the world of the dead," said Orochimaru.

"That's quite an improvement," Gyatsō said as he once again crossed his arms. Hikari was actually surprised he complimented the Sannin.

Orochimaru let out a small grunt, acknowledging his comrade's words as he began to perform multiple hand seals. He quickly closed his eyes before slapping his hands together. Gyatsō watched his hand movements closely and smirked to himself.

_ So the hand signs for the Reanimation are tora, __hebi__, __inu__, __doragon__ and a single clap. I'll need to remember that as a __precaution_ _for__ later._

"Summoning... Reanimation!"

Just as before, four large wooden caskets slowly rose from the ground. The seals on the caskets glowed red as the cases collapsed onto the ground, revealing Sebbech, Seiko, Hide, and Zuko to be inside of said caskets. He only summoned these four upon Gyatsō's orders. 

When Orochimaru moved forward to implant directions inside of them, Gyatsō held his arm out in front of the Sannin to stop him.

"My Osore members are not your puppets, Orochimaru, they are mine. Not in the sense that they're unaware of what they're doing, anyway," he said. He would then perform the hand seals needed to summon the King of Hell. Realising what Gyatsō was going to do, Orochimaru nodded and stepped back.

"Perfected Art of Rinne Rebirth!"

Just like how the jutsu worked for Itachi, the green light swirling inside of the King of Hell's mouth shot out and engulfed the Osore members' bodies. In a few moments, they were fully brought back to life.

Once they all looked over to Gyatsō, they bowed out of respect.

"Lord Gyatsō, please forgive me, that bastard Ketsueki Kuraiya got me when I wasn't looking! I beg of you, give me the order to rip that little shit to shreds!" said Sebbech, who was clearly agitated with how he died. 

Seiko timidly looked over to Zuko, who flashed her an emotionless glare. Seiko gritted her teeth and moved closer to Sebbech in caution.

"That's enough, Sailor of Blood. Ketsueki Kuraiya is dead. I have brought you four back with a mission that is of great importance," said Gyatsō as he would smile softly to himself. Being surrounded by loyal subordinates calmed him in a way.

"Oh, I see. You killed that pest, my lord? Serves him right."

Gyatsō walked forward to place a hand on Zuko's shoulder. When Zuko looked up into Gyatsō's eye, he shed a tear and looked down at the ground.

"Lord Gyatsō, I apologise for my incompetence. You would have retained your Mūgetsu Shaolin if not for me," the black haired male said gently.

"Do not scold yourself, Zuko. Doctorisha showed his true traitorous nature by allying himself with Itachi in my own damned body. He is to blame for this inconvenience, not you. Although it's true I cannot transplant the Mūgetsu Shaolin into myself, I will develop a new means to wield but one of those eyes," Gyatsō told the younger male.

"Lord Gyatsō, I ask that you keep me away from Zuko as far as possible," said Seiko. She frowned at Zuko before inching away from him even more. Zuko scratched the back of his head as he looked away.

"Seiko, my Temptress of Hate. You will stay inside this village and rule over it as its new leader," said the white-haired male as he slowly levitated into the air.

"Y-yes, my lord. I thank you."

Staring at the Hokage Stone Faces, Gyatsō deemed that its existence was not necessary anymore. With a single movement of his fist, the Faces were completely destroyed, with large fragments of the rocks falling to the village. 

When the rocks landed on the ground, Gyatsō, Hide, Orochimaru, Sebbech, Zuko, and Hikari were already at the gates of the silent village. Seiko stood on top of the Hokage Residence with her hands resting on her hips. Her cloak was wrapped around her slim waist. Her long, silky, orange hair danced in the peaceful wind as she looked down to the departing Osore.

Gyatsō turned his head to look back at the village before smiling once more. Smoke was still floating in the air, which in turn slightly clouded his vision, although it didn't matter.

In his eyes, he was imagining the future of the village - a future in which the Hidden Dark Nation ruled the world. A future in which the flag of the Nation hung proudly. That was to become a reality very soon in his mind.


	37. Grinding Sand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gyatsō and his Osore subordinates are quickly closing in on their next Village to conquer: the Hidden Sand. The remaining Great Nations have all heard of the Hidden Dark's declaration of war by now, so the element of surprise is out the window. Even so, Gyatsō refuses to back down.

Gyatsō let a sigh escape his lips as he rose his arm, shielding his eye from the sand flying around him. He and his subordinates were in the outskirts of the Hidden Sand Village. They were currently in a sandstorm, which was actually normal in this vast desert landscape. As they neared the village, Hikari began to express his slight hesitation to advance to the Sand, especially after their attack on the Leaf.

"Lord Gyatsō," he started, also using an arm to cover his eyes. Gyatsō looked back at him with a blank facial expression.

"I'm sure you know that it's a possibility the Sand knows of our presence. The Leaf and the Sand _are_ allies, after all," he said. Orochimaru rolled his eyes, lightly smirking to himself as if he resented that statement. Gyatsō turned his head away from Hikari after a few moments.

"It doesn't matter if they know we're coming, Hikari. Even if they did, their forces wouldn't nearly be enough to keep us away from the village," Gyatsō replied.

Hikari nodded before looking forward, spotting a figure through the heavy sand that was now quickly surrounding them. Hide began to chuckle, his glowing eyes fixed on the cube of sand they were now trapped inside.

"Well, they know we're here," he said.

Gyatsō frowned as he slowly walked forward, placing a palm on one of the walls of sand. Dark chakra would soon shoot through the sand with a fierce rip, before shooting towards the shinobi. The chakra was materialising as it approached him.

"What the hell?!" the shinobi gasped, raising his arms quickly. A block of sand covered his body as a shield by the time Gyatsō's chakra made impact.

The white-haired male appeared in front of the shinobi, throwing a fist though the sand to grab his neck. Placing his other hand on the shinobi's chest, Gyatsō's sharp chakra shot out of his palm, impaling him at point-blank range.

After a very brief stare down, Gyatsō let go of the shinobi, letting him crash onto the sand-covered ground. His Sunagakure headband slipped off his neck on impact. Gyatsō eyed it for a moment before turning his head to see the cube of sand, once surrounding his subordinates, crash onto the ground as well. Gyatsō redirected his attention to the dying shinobi.

"So you have the ability to freely manipulate sand, just like the previous Kazekage. However, just like your village, your end has come," the white-haired male said as he picked up the headband. He smiled gently as it was soon engulfed in his black and red Catastrophic Hell Flames.

Zuko walked forward, his jet black hair swaying in the heavy wind as he performed a single hand seal.

"Hm... two o'clock. The outside of the Sand's entrance is protected by an army of their ninja. It's only ANBU and Jonin, but I'm sure their Kazekage will arrive soon," he said. He activated his Shaolin, which emitted a bright, crimson glare through the loosely flying sand.

"It'd be faster for us to just let me wipe them out. The rest of you, infiltrate the village and control it from the inside," said Gyatsō as he continued to walk forward.

Hikari would perform multiple hand seals before slapping his palm on the ground, raising it just before a white substance began to pour out of the sand. The substance would soon morph into a large clay bird, sprouting out winds and gliding into the air.

Once everyone other than Gyatsō was on the bird, it cawed loudly and flew away, quickly disappearing in the heavy sandstorm.

Another sigh escaped Gyatsō's lips as he opened his eye, now standing before a small army of shinobi wearing headbands of the Hidden Sand. He was now just metres away from entering the village, but he just stood there wordlessly, waiting to see if they were going to attack him first.

"If you take a step forward," a shinobi in the front of the army yelled, "We'll decimate you until there's nothing left!"

"Why is he alone? Intel said there's supposed to be five of them," another shinobi yelled.

"Find the others!" another yelled.

Gyatsō lost his slight smile as he looked at the army. The sandstorm around the village suddenly intensified, sending heavy gusts of wind and sand in all directions.

The thick sand flying around the Osore leader provided some cover for him. When he seemed to disappear due to how thick the sand became, he dashed forward.

Screams could be heard as multiple shinobi were sent flying back. A purple glare emitted from Gyatsō's eye as he effortlessly dodged the swords now flying towards his body. With a single hand, he grabbed onto a random shinobi and used him as a shield for the barrage of shuriken aiming at him.

With a wide smirk on his face, he ran forward with the wounded shinobi, nearing the village's entrance.

"Is this the best the Sand picked to battle me?! What an absolute joke," he chuckled out.

When he was a single footstep from being inside the village, he suddenly gasped, gritting his teeth as an exceptionally strong gust of wind blew him back several metres. When he landed on the ground, he looked forward, eyeing the woman with a frown. Standing in front of the shinobi was the current Kazekage, Temari.

"So, the strongest wind user in the entire world wishes to challenge her God?" he asked, dusting himself off. Temari responded by throwing off her Kazekage robe, giving him an angry glare. Her giant, three-mooned fan rested underneath her arm.

"You're going to regret coming here, you scum of the earth!" Temari spat out. Her shinobi cheered as to root for their leader. A few of them stepped back in preparation for the battle that was about to unfold.

Gyatsō took a step forward.

"Your brother, the former Kazekage, is lying unconscious in a Hidden Leaf hospital. When he awakes, he'll be imprisoned, or more preferably, killed. As for you, his weaker elder sister, you'll die here today. The Five Kage will cease to exist in the world I'm creating before all of you," he said.

The white-haired male then crossed his arms and walked forward, not intimidated by Temari's threats in the slightest. The shorter, blonde woman widened her eyes as the mention of Gaara angered her. The thought of losing her only brother left forced her to run forward with a roar, dragging her large fan against the ground.

"What did you do to Gaara?!" she demanded. Gyatsō began to chuckle as he held his hand out in front of him. His eye focused on the livid woman nearing him.

"You can ask him yourself in the afterlife, Sixth Kazekage... ALMIGHTY PUSH!"

Meanwhile, the rest of Gyatsō's entourage were flying above the village. A sudden powerful shockwave caused everything in the vicinity of the Hidden Sand to rumble. Hikari looked behind him, a smile forming on his lips as he immediately realised what caused such a shockwave.

"It seems Lord Gyatsō is enjoying himself down there," he said. Sebbech scoffed, eyeing the Kazekage residence to find out nobody was inside.

"The Kazekage's probably down there too," he said, snickering to himself.

"If she is, the poor woman will certainly die," Orochimaru sighed out. The clay bird began to descend, with the Osore jumping off of it before it landed. Immediately upon their arrival in the village, numerous masked shinobi surrounded them within a blink of an eye.

"You're not going anywhere," a feminine voice said as she unsheathed her long katana.

"These guys are their ANBU, yes? I hope they're better than the pathetic ANBU from the Leaf," said Sebbech as he began to slowly perform hand seals.

"Ah, Sebbech, if you'd like to take them all on, go ahead. Hikari, you, Hide, and Orochimaru are with me," said Zuko. Sebbech shrugged his shoulders as a response.

When Zuko turned around to leave, the female ANBU member appeared at his side, aiming her katana for his stomach. Before the reinforced blade came into contact with him, Zuko quickly brought his palm to her neck, breaking it. She fell to the ground swiftly, now motionless.

"Your only opponent is _Sebbech__._ If you Sand lot want to die as well, come. If not, we're leaving," said the black-haired young man.

Back at the village entrance, bodies laid atop each other as Gyatsō lightly panted, clutching his face. Temari laid down in front of him, digging her fingernails into the ground as she struggled to stand up.

"What on earth.. was that?!" she asked herself, using her fan as a hold to slowly pull herself up. Gyatsō stared at her, interested in the only person who wasn't wiped out by his devastating Almighty Push. Since he had to wait several minutes before he could use his Rinnegan powers again, he simply switched to the first level of his Shaolin.

Temari swiftly flung her arms up, using her fan to send a gust of wind towards Gyatsō. Moving his body to appear behind her, the white-haired male placed a hand on the Kazekage's back.

"Armageddon Chains."

A moment later, Temari gasped, a line of blood now slowly making its way down her lip. Several chains had pierced her through her back, and when they were forced out the other side, they wrapped around her body, constricting her.

"You were made the Sixth Kazekage _only_ because Kankuro was dead when Gaara stepped down from his position as the Fifth Kazekage. With nobody else of Fourth Kazekage Rasa's bloodline other than you, they appointed you, a weak woman, the inferior sister, to be their leader. That alone is enough to ostracize the Sand and tear it apart," said Gyatsō, whispering into Temari's ear.

The woman would grit her teeth as she growled at him, to which Gyatsō responded by punching her to the ground. When she slowly turned her head, their eyes met.

"Even if you kill me... the Sand will destroy the evil you people spread like a wildfire," she spat out, eventually closing her eyes as if she came to terms with her fate.

"You're mistaken. We are not the ones who spread evil. _You, _Kazekage, feed the evil you're speaking of in this flawed shinobi system. When I was a child, I decided that such a system would be better off if I forced it into submission. Now that I'm nearing global rule, my dream is no longer in fruition... but has become a reality!" Gyatsō boomed proudly, smiling widely afterwards. He truly felt as if he was doing the world a favour, but his opponent thought otherwise.

"You're a damn psychopath," scoffed Temari. Gyatsō would slowly lose his smile as he glared down at the woman.

"Then for the sake of a peaceful world, I will be as such."

Clenching his fist, the chains around her heart vibrated before clamping tightly around the beating, vital organ.

Temari's eyes grew blank as she felt a tearing inside her chest, and before long, she was lying dead on the ground. Gyatsō had crushed the woman's heart by tightening his Armageddon Chains, which strained his own body a bit. Staring at Temari's corpse, he coughed out some blood as he began dragging it against the ground, entering the village.

By the time he quickly tracked down the Osore's position, Sebbech had already made quick work of the ANBU who confronted them. The green haired man looked at Temari's body before looking up at Gyatsō, bowing his head.

"So, the Kazekage's dead. Have you already decided who's becoming the Sand's new leader?" asked Sebbech, using a hand to brush his hair to the side. Gyatsō nodded and pointed to the Kazekage residence.

"Yes, I've already informed Orochimaru that he would stay in the village. The Sand can already be considered captured, as without their Kage, none of them stands a chance of resisting. Orochimaru's shinobi are coming here as well very soon, so we're leaving," said Gyatsō.

"Lord Gyatsō, I'm grateful for being at your side. Use me as you see fit, my lord."

"That's correct, Sebbech. Although, I would never settle for anything less."

Orochimaru cackled to himself as he sat at Temari's desk within the Kazekage residence. Averting his attention to outside the window, he eyed Hikari, Hide and Zuko meeting up with Gyatsō and Sebbech.

"That boy..."

He looked at Gyatsō, who immediately glared at him back. Orochimaru's laughter grew louder as a result.

"That boy from the Grass, Gyatsō Mataba.. heheh.. heheheheh... so _interesting_, that boy!" he cackled out.

Gyatsō scoffed before turning around to walk out of the village. His subordinates followed him as they all walked past the incoming Sound reinforcements.

"We're off to the Hidden Stone. Their village isn't as weak as the Sand, but even when that is the case," Gyatsō started, closing his eye for a few moments.

"I _will_ still take control of the Stone."


	38. A Cracked Stone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On their way to the Hidden Stone, the Osore is suddenly ambushed by a certain redhead's daughter.

"There's one.. two.. three... and four," a brown-haired shinobi whispered. His long bangs almost covered his eyes, and the rest of hair was tied into a short ponytail. A headband of the Hidden Stone Village was tightly wrapped around his bare, left shoulder. His attire was standard for Iwagakure shinobi - a red outfit with one sleeve and mesh armour around his legs.

In the outskirts of the village, a pair of shinobi was on lookout duty. The brown-haired man was looking through a pair of binoculars while his female partner laid besides him, nestled in a patch of grass.

"Are you sure? Let me see," she said, using a hand to brush her orange locks behind her ear. The brown haired ninja handed the binoculars to the woman, who switched spots with him right after.

The woman looked into the binoculars, eyeing several figures with torn, black cloaks walking in their general direction. She gritted her teeth, a few beads of sweat now glistening off her forehead as she looked at their faces. It was the Osore, with Gyatsō walking ahead of them.

"That's them, without a doubt. Hey, Daisuke, the white-haired guy in the front is their leader, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, and neither one of us are strong enough to kill him," Daisuke replied.

"Damnit. We can't allow the Osore to get closer to the village, Lord Tsuchikage hasn't returned yet!" she exclaimed.

"Calm down, Madako. Lady Kaori's going to ambush them with that blood jutsu of hers. We'll back her up as much as we can, got it?" Daisuke asked.

"If it's Lady Kaori who's with us, then of course," she replied.

Daisuke gave her a light smile before standing up, performing multiple hand seals.

"Reiji just went to alert the higher-ups that these bastards are finally here. Come on Madako, we're getting into position."

"Right behind you."

Sebbech let out a light yawn as he bounded forwards, jumping on top of a large rock to gain more high ground. Squinting a bit, he finally saw the Hidden Stone Village in the distance.

"Sebbech!"

Suddenly, a line of blood wrapped around Sebbech's body and quickly hardened to such an extent that he couldn't move anything below his neck. Frantically looking over to the side, the green haired male's eyes widened as he was kicked off of the rock and crashed onto the ground. The blood then expanded until it engulfed his entire body.

A red-haired woman wearing a pink kimono then revealed herself. Her arms rested on her hips as she glared at Gyatsō, who seemed uninterested in her even after rendering one of his strongest subordinates immobile.

"Hmm, so _you're _the Gyatsō Mataba everyone's so afraid of. You better not take me lightly as you did my father," she said. Sebbech's eyes widened at her words.

"Father?! Wait, this bitch is Ketsueki's daughter?! Makes sense," the livid man growled, struggling greatly to move his body. After a few more moments, the blood had hardened to the point of where the green-haired Osore member was being constricted.

"She looks proficient with Reddokarīngu, just like Ketsueki himself," said Hikari. He looked at Kaori and gave her a weak smile. She flashed him an angry glare back.

"Tell me, woman. Are you here to avenge your father?" he asked.

"Not at all. _Ketseuki_ abandoned us after I was born," Kaori replied, spitting out her father's name as if it was the name of a terminal illness.

"I'm honestly disappointed you people didn't kill him. Then again, he's a Kuraiya, so there isn't too much shock," she continued. Hikari scoffed before looking over to Gyatsō.

"Lord Gyatsō, I'll take down Ketsueki's daughter. Preserve your strength for fighting the Tsuchikage," he said. Gyatsō nodded and took a few steps back. Hide and Zuko did the same, agreeing to respect Kaori enough to give her a fair fight.

Kaori looked over to Gyatsō then Hikari, gritting her teeth a bit as she began to perform rapid hand seals.

_I can't count on those three __to_ _just__ stay there and be idle forever, __especially__ Gyatsō. I'll have to finish this as fast as I _ca_n__._

"I am Hikari Notori of the Osore. You're in the way of our goals, so you will fall here. Your defeat will be in an instant," said Hikari, unzipping the top of his cloak.

"It's the other way around," replied Kaori. She brought out a small blade and quickly swiped it against her thumb before pressing it on the ground. Large, hardened blood spikes rose from the ground, making their way to Hikari.

"I take it back, your use of Reddokarīngu is mediocre compared to your father's," sighed out Hikari.

_Supido__: __Furasshusuteppu__._

A barely noticeable yellow aura would emit from Hikari's body as he took a single step forward. Within a blink of an eye, he was standing behind Kaori, his hand resting on his hip. His aura had suddenly boomed, with a loud, fierce roar echoing around the area. Kaori was forced back in the air from the shockwave. 

Looking up at her, a smile formed on Hikari's lips once again. Kaori's surprised facial expression turned into an angry one as she tried to regain her balance, but it was too late. By the time she managed to flip her body upright, Hikari was already in front of her in the air, performing several hand seals.

_Supido__: __Uratorasonniku_ _ebu__._

Kaori exhaled in pain as she felt numerous blows connect to her body with intense speed, even though it seemed as if Hikari wasn't moving his fists to hit her. Just as before, a faint yellow aura glowed from his body. After many such blows, Kaori was sent to the ground, sliding against the rock covered landscape.

Hikari landed on the ground away from her, looking over at the young woman with contempt. He let out a disappointed sigh, walking towards her while slowly performing different hand seals.

"I was hoping for a more intense battle, but I guess I am the one who said your defeat will be instantaneous. I'll just tell your father I killed his little girl," he said as a smirk formed on his lips.

Gyatsō lightly chuckled to himself, unsurprisingly pleased with that statement. He wanted Ketsueki to be inflicted with the most pain possible, both physical and mental. 

"I'm talking to you, woman," said Hikari as he knelt over Kaori. He grabbed her face, forcing her head to turn to his. When their eyes met, Hikari gasped lightly.

Multiple threads of blood wrapped around his body within a moment's notice, with a smirking Kaori bounding from underneath him. Blood leaked from the numerous cuts on her arms and legs, where the threads of blood came from.

"So, you're using the damage of my Supido style jutsu to attack me back," said Hikari as he stood in place, the blood quickly hardening around his body, just as before with Sebbech.

"Arrogance is a germ, and it just got you killed," said Kaori as she held her damaged hand in front of Hikari's face. Hikari slowly closed his eyes as he still kept his smirk, seemingly unaffected by the situation he was in.

"Koroshimasu."

Just as before against Itachi, Hikari's body was suddenly engulfed in a bright yellow aura before he disappeared out of nowhere. Kaori gasped as she jumped back, looking around to desperately spot where Hikari was at now.

He appeared at her side with a thin sword in his hand. His left arm was still resting on his cloak as if he was completely relaxed. With a single movement of his hand, he brought the sword to Kaori's right arm, completely separating the limb from the woman's body.

The red-haired Kuraiya clan member let out a blood-curdling scream, to which Gyatsō smirked widely. Her detached arm fell lifelessly to the ground as blood sprouted from the severe cut. Kaori dropped to her knees as she clutched her wound, tears stinging her eyes from the pain.

"Lady Kaori!!" a masculine voice boomed from the shadows. Daisuke appeared in front of Hikari and connected a heavy punch to his face. Hikari was sent back on the ground as Madoka appeared at Kaori's side. 

"No you don't," said Zuko, his Shaolin activating as he dashed towards Daisuke. The brown haired male gritted his teeth as he pulled out two kunai from his ninja tool pouch, throwing one towards the incoming Taisega clan member. 

Zuko effortlessly caught the knife with two fingers, swinging the kunai around his index finger before clutching the grip of the knife. When he got close enough, Daisuke attempted to slash Zuko in the neck, but the black haired male blocked it with his own kunai. The two shinobi then began to rapidly clash their weapons against each other's.

Hide appeared in front of Kaori and Madako, directing a knee to Madako's chin. The orange haired woman was sent back, crashing into a large rock in the distance. Hide's slitted eyes met Kaori's scarlet hues, letting his snakelike tongue hang out.

"Don't worry dear, I'll leave you to Hikari. Your little friend over there is mine to kill though," he cackled. He dashed towards Madako, his cackling growing louder as he ran into the woman head-on as the rock they were on cracked, before its fragments crashed onto the ground around them.

Hikari stood up with an annoyed face, brushing himself off before redirecting his attention to Kaori. Thanks to her kekkei genkai, the bleeding had already stopped, but the pain was still present. When she herself stood up, it caused a great deal of pain that she never felt before. 

"Bastard... you _bastard_!" she yelled, still tightly clutching whatever was left of her arm.

"Oh.. you don't possess that strange Curse Mark your father has, so there's no healing that, right?" Hikari teased, walking towards her once again.

"I'll pay you back very soon, you understand me..?!" the woman managed to say, performing a single hand seal. Kaori's body was surrounded by small leaves, then disappeared without a trace. The technique reminded Hikari of when Ketsueki left after the Osore tracked him and Itachi down.

"This vanishing act has gotten annoying already. Oh well, with an injury like that, she won't come back like Ketsueki," he mumbled to himself as he pulled his cloak back up. He turned around to look at Zuko, who was returning with a slash on the middle of his nose.

"You're already done with that guy, Zuko?" asked the blonde haired male. Zuko nodded, his Shaolin already deactivated. Hide also returned, but he wasn't injured. Daisuke's and Madako's lifeless bodies laid out on the ground.

Gyatsō walked forward, looking at the village far into the distance. 

"You three have had your fun, but now is the time to get down to business. That village is mine," he said. His subordinates nodded as they all began dashing towards the village.

A wide smirk was on Gyatsō's face. After a few moments, his first level Shaolin suddenly deactivated. He clutched his eye as he began to slow down. When Zuko and the others also slowed down, he demanded that they continue without him.

The pain in his eye was now forcing him to stop completely. He tried using his medical ninjutsu to heal his eye, but it barely did anything. When he slowly removed his hand from his eye, he waited for his vision to return to normal. 

"Greetings, Gyatsō Mataba," said a masculine voice above him. Gyatsō gasped lightly before raising his head to look at the floating shinobi in front of him.

The small man wore a green cloth around his eyes. On top of his head was the Tsuchikage's hat. The white-haired man looked at the glowing structure that was in the Tsuchikage's hands.

_The Particle Style?! __Damnit__, I can't do anything right now!_

"And farewell."


	39. Tsuchikage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gyatsō is caught off-guard by the Fifth Tsuchikage, Lord Owabi. With his Shaolin's visual prowess now seemingly beyond repair, he finds it extremely difficult to cut the Tsuchikage down.

"You appear before me at last, Fifth Tsuchikage Owabi," said Gyatsō. His eye was still focusing hard on the expanding structure in the smaller Kage's hands.

A smile slowly formed on Owabi's lips as he levitated closer to Gyatsō, who took a few steps back as a precaution. The dark-haired Tsuchikage would then chuckle to himself, pleased to see that Gyatsō wasn't as arrogant as he was with Temari.

Owabi was a hardened veteran; son of the Third Tsuchikage; father of the Fourth. He even possessed the kekkei tōta of his father and the Second Tsuchikage, the Particle Style. There was no way he would simply allow Gyatsō to go through with his plan, especially after he had already attacked his people.

Owabi lost his smile at that thought. The man standing before him already killed two of his pupils and wounded his close friend. For the Hidden Stone and the very world, he had to put an end to Gyatsō. _Now._

The glowing structure in his hands grew even brighter, prompting Gyatsō to try and escape. However, the pain in his eye returned and forced him to stop in his tracks once more.

The white-haired leader of the Hidden Dark Nation quickly turned around only to be met with an angry Owabi.

"Return to dust... Particle Style: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!!"

The structure expanded rapidly in size as it propelled towards Gyatsō, trapping him inside its confines. The sphere then exploded with a tremendous amount of force, while the exterior walls of the structure effectively restricted the size of the blast radius.

In an instant, Gyatsō's body was pulverised into minute particles of dust.

"Now it's time to get rid of the pests roaming around my village," the Tsuchikage said to himself, before abruptly turning around with widened eyes.

Gyatsō was in the air with him. He gritted his teeth as the kunai in his hand missed Owabi's back. The taller male then crashed back onto the ground, his breathing hindering as he once again clutched his eye. For a brief moment, Gyatsō's eye was the second level Shaolin, then it forced itself to devolve back into its first level before deactivating.

_ That_ _was_ _the_ _last_ _time_ _I_ _can_ _use_ _dojutsu__ in my __current_ _state__,_ he thought, taking a moment before cautiously standing back up. Owabi scoffed, now realising how Gyatsō escaped his attack.

"Push yourself to use the Shaolin or Rinnegan again and it'll give me the perfect opening to kill you," the older Tsuchikage said, already deciding that he wasn't going to wait for Gyatsō to recover.

Owabi then slapped his hands together to perform the Rat, Boar, and Snake hand seals, looking to catch Gyatsō in his Atomic Dismantling Jutsu again.

Gyatsō would also perform several hand seals at a faster speed. Owabi braced himself a bit due to not being familiar with the water style hand seals Gyatsō were performing. A crazed smirk quickly spread on the white-haired man's lips as he looked into Owabi's eyes.

_ The_ _hands_ _are_ _critical_ _for_ _using_ _Particle_ _Style__. __This'll_ _stop__ you dead in __your_ _tracks__, __Owabi__._

"Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!"

After gathering a fair amount of chakra in his stomach and converting it to water, Gyatsō expelled the water from his mouth.

He extended the water over a large scale, surging and rising up to several dozens of metres high in just seconds. Only then would it stream down to the ground in one big cascade, much like a gigantic waterfall. In doing so, it resembled a huge wave with tremendous power that hollowed out the ground underneath it.

The vortex of water crashed into Owabi and continued to virtually destroy whatever was unfortunate enough to be caught in its path. Gyatsō dropped to his knees in a light pant, breaking into a chuckle as he looked at the damage caused by his jutsu.

What remained after the technique's utilisation was reminiscent of no less than the aftermath of a natural disaster.

When the vortex eventually dispersed, however, Gyatsō lost his smirk. There was an identical copy of Owabi standing next to the real one, meaning the veteran was even faster with his technique.

"So, you used Fission," said Gyatsō, recalling the Second Tsuchikage's usage of the technique in the last war.

It also seems that Owabi's Fission clone could use Particle Style, as he was now performing the hand seals for the kekkei tōta. Mu, the second person to be named Tsuchikage, was long gone dead, so who could have taught Owabi these secrets? Gyatsō's thoughts were interrupted by Owabi.

"Never in a million years will a puny water jutsu like that take me down," said the Tsuchikage, flying towards the white-haired man faster than ever before.

Gyatsō gritted his teeth as he bounded backwards, performing hand seals with a single hand. Owabi was surprised to see that the white-haired man use his other hand as well, as if he was going to use two different jutsu at once.

"Fire Style: Inferno Run!"

Several rings of fire began to run on the ground and fly through the air towards Owabi. But long before they came into contact with Owabi, Gyatsō slapped his hands together, performing the tiger, snake, and ram hand seals.

"Wind Style: Divine Down Current!!"

Gyatsō inhaled greatly before blowing out a vortex of wind that rapidly spun into the circles of fire, creating a large tornado of flames heading Owabi's way.

The Tsuchikage's Fission clone flew ahead, looking to block the attack as the real Owabi began to perform hand seals for Particle Style.

"Earth Style: Mud Wall," the Fission clone yelled, slapping his palms on the earth under his feet. Four large walls made of the earth rose from the ground, creating a large, protective barrier. The barrier itself is also coated with chakra, making its strength incomparable to that of a normal mud wall. Because of the earth's special characteristics, the wall is highly resistant against fire based jutsu.

As such, when the tornado of flames crashed into the barrier, the flames dispersed after almost breaking through the walls. Thick, black smoke quickly filled the atmosphere, but this was short lived.

A conical structure suddenly emerged from the earth barrier, which also wiped it entirely out on impact. The structure shot through the smoke, which also destroyed it by the particle, and was now rapidly approaching Gyatsō.

_ The conical variant of Particle Style? I can't evade that. Very well then_, thought Gyatsō as he brought out his hands in front of them, several beads of sweat now appearing on his forehead.

_ I'll just absorb it!_

"Let's see how you react to having this pathetic jutsu of yours rendered useless, Owabi!"

"What?!"

The glowing structure crashed into Gyatsō, but it would soon begin to grow smaller. Gyatsō was pushed back by the force nonetheless. On the Osore leader's hands were coats of Dark chakra, which confirmed that only his Dark style could negate Owabi's Particle style.

"Ash Stone Sealing Jutsu!" a feminine voice boomed behind Gyatsō.

From her mouth, the woman spewed out a thick cloud of ash that quickly wrapped around Gyatsō, disabling his movement. By focusing on her chakra after the technique was cast, she maintained the binding properties of the technique after revealing herself.

The kunoichi had short, black hair and black eyes which were accentuated by her eyelashes running upwards at the corners. She wore a red dress that was kept open on the front-right side from the waist down, revealing her right leg. It only had a sleeve on the left side.

Owabi's eyes widened as he looked over to the woman, who flashed him a bright smile.

"What's wrong, dad?" she asked with a sarcastic tone.

"What the hell are you doing here, Kurotsuchi?!" Owabi demanded, making sure not to lose too much focus on the restrained Gyatsō. Gyatsō slowly turned his head to look over at Kurotsuchi, now understanding the situation he was in.

Kurotsuchi was Owabi's predecessor to the title of Tsuchikage, becoming the Fourth after her grandfather stepped down from office. He knew that he'd be able to take the two Kage level shinobi down, but without his dojutsu, that would be exceptionally difficult.

"I'm here to buy you time, sheesh," Kurotsuchi sighed out, losing her smile as she redirected her attention to the immobile Osore leader. She looked into his eye for a few good seconds before walking towards him.

"Dad, this Gyatsō guy counters your Particle style perfectly, so he can also counter my Lava style. I can just immobilise his entire body before he gets the chance to counter atta-"

"Enough, girl! It's not just specific nature types, he can nullify _all_ ninjutsu, that's why having you out here is pointless right now, just le-"

"Damnit dad, stop being so stuck up and go, I'm barely able to suppress his chakra! If you want a fight, just go wipe out Gyatsō's men instead!" Kurotsuchi pleaded.

She performed a hand seal to constrict Gyatsō's body more, which caused her own body a bit of strain. She had strengthened her Ash Stone Sealing Jutsu to the point of where she could suppress her target's chakra, but Gyatsō's chakra reserves were large and extremely powerful.

_ I__t's almost like I'm trying to hold back a freaking __Jinchuriki__, what is this guy?!_ Kurotsuchi thought, falling to one knee in a light pant. Cracks began to form on the ash around Gyatsō's body.

Owabi clenched his hands into tight fists as he turned around before zooming off, looking over his shoulder to see Kurotsuchi giving him a thumbs up.

More cracks formed on the ash before the white-haired male roared, forcing himself out of his entrapment. Kurotsuchi jumped backwards, having already anticipating his escape, but her enemy was too fast for her.

With a single move of his arm, Gyatsō's hand was tightly clenched around Kurotsuchi's neck. He emotionlessly stared at the choking woman, seeing no reason to entertain himself further.

Slowly closing his eye, the white-haired shinobi performed multiple hand seals with his free hand.

"This will finish you off for good. Any Kage, past or present, will not be allowed to live in my world."


	40. Hikari's Grudge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After so many years, Hikari Notori finally has the chance to get his revenge on Owabi and the Hidden Stone Village, just as Gyatsō promised.

A nonchalant Zuko sighed lightly to himself. With little effort, he brought his right hand in front of his body to catch the large blade that was coming his way. Now standing in front of him was a blonde-haired Jonin from the Hidden Stone. Concern was certainly on his face when he applied more pressure only to realise this was cracking his sword quicker.

Zuko and the others were battling Hidden Stone reinforcements in the southern part of the village, not too far from where they left Gyatsō. After swinging his body up to shove a fragment of the sword into the man's chest, Zuko looked around to notice that he was now being surrounded.

"Well, you Stone ninja move quite fast, I have to say," he complimented the group of assailants around him. As soon as Zuko began to perform hand signs, the men roared loudly, closing in on him with their weapons.

Another bored sigh escaped Zuko's parted lips as he bounded backwards, roundhouse kicking the shinobi that were closest to his back.

Landing on his hands, Zuko twirled around quickly, landing more brutal kicks on his assailants. A masked ANBU member appeared in front of him, swiping his leg around to hit Zuko's arms.

The black-haired male crashed onto the ground and instantly moved his head to the left. The ANBU's glistening sword had barely missed Zuko's head.

"You almost got me," said Zuko, his facial expression remaining blank. The masked shinobi above him scoffed and pulled his sword out of the ground.

"I won't miss this time!" he yelled, bringing the sword down towards Zuko's head. Zuko's eyes widened as he activated the second stage of his Shaolin, forming a slight smile on his lips. Bringing his hand up to the tip of the blade, the Taisega clan member winced as it cut deep into his palm.

Before getting a reaction from the ANBU, Zuko used his free hand to perform a quick series of hand signs, finishing the jutsu he tried to cast before.

"Fire Style: Burning Ash."

A stream of chakra-infused gunpowder spewed from Zuko's mouth, which surrounded the region. As the gunpowder is composed entirely of ash, it stayed in the air like a cloud. Zuko used this as a smokescreen to escape while the confused reinforcements remained in it.

"Hide and Hikari are fighting a different group of shinobi, so these guys can all burn," Zuko whispered to himself.

He ignited the gunpowder with a flint placed on his teeth beforehand to create a spark, which resulted in a violent explosion. Booming screams filled the area as he fled the scene, leaving the Hidden Stone ninja to all burn alive.

Further up north in the village, Hikari had finished his own battle with Stone shinobi. He turned around to eye the cloud of smoke hovering over the horizon.

Hide appeared next to him with a smirk. The serpentine male licked a spot of blood off of his cheek. A large amount of unconscious Hidden Stone ninja were sprawled across the ground. Hide also looked at the smoke cloud, snickering a little.

"Say, Hikari. Does it pain you to see your village being destroyed from the inside out?" he asked. Hikari turned to Hide, scoffing at him. Hide knew his allegiance was to the Hidden Dark Nation, as all members of the Osore swore loyalty to the Dark ages ago.

"When I met Lord Gyatsō, he promised me that he'd help me exact revenge on the Hidden Stone. Seeing the village in this current state makes me want to destroy it even further," Hikari replied with a smile on his face. There was no doubt he didn't feel a shred of regret for what's happening to the Stone. Hide accepted his answer and nodded in approval.

"Seeing your faces makes me want to destroy _you_ even further," yelled Owabi, who was now levitating behind the two.

Hikari and Hide gasped as their bodies were now stumbling around as the earth shook and broke apart under their feet.

The blonde Osore member jumped off the breaking piece of earth and glared at Owabi, who was performing fast hand signs.

"I see Lord Gyatsō didn't finish you off himself," said the long-haired male. He rebounded off another fragment of the ground in the air, which propelled him towards Owabi. Hide smirked widely as he, too, neared the older Tsuchikage with bloodlust intent.

Owabi gritted his teeth as he levitated higher in the air, completing the hand seals for his Particle release. A white, glowing structure began to form in his hands, a figure that Hikari knows all too well.

The blonde-haired Osore member scoffed at the older man with disappointment, looking him in the eyes. The structure grew larger in Owabi's hands as he retorted with a glare of his own.

"Hikari Notori! I don't know why you're serving Gyatsō, but this is your last chance to redeem yourself before I wipe you from the face of the earth!" Owabi warned, now flying quickly towards the younger male.

"Bastard... you forget what your village did to me then you threaten me today? Your defeat will be in an instant!" Hikari yelled back. Memories from his past invaded his mind just like last time, when he was bringing Konan and Itachi's bodies back to Gyatsō.

. . . .

"You're the scum of the earth!"

"Die already!"

"You betrayed us for Orochimaru!"

"Traitor!"

"The Stone doesn't harbour bastards like you!"

"Leave this village or I'll kill you myself!"

A noticeably younger Hikari was surrounded by many villagers of his home, the Hidden Stone. He had just returned to the village after escaping the clutches of Orochimaru, who kidnapped him to experiment on him. The Sannin succeeded in creating the Supido style and was pleased that Hikari killed many of his subordinates using Supido to escape.

"You don't understand," Hikari started, his head still facing the ground. A taller villager with toned muscles grabbed Hikari by the shirt, directing a heavy punch to his stomach.

In apparent pain, the blonde male knelt over, clutching his stomach hard. The other villagers smirked as if they were satisfied and laughed, cheering and encouraging the man to continue.

"Traitors don't get the right to talk to us!" He barked, resting his foot atop Hikari's head. For the next few minutes, the muscled villager relentlessly kicked Hikari's body.

_Why__ am I being treated like this? _Hikari thought to himself as he endured the beating. When he was about to slip into unconsciousness, the man spat on his face before walking away with the other villagers.

Hikari dug his fingernails into the ground as he began to sit up, wiping the spit off his face.

"Damn them all," he sobbed quietly, tears of confusion and anger present on his face.

"Stand, boy," said an older male now standing above Hikari. The blonde teenager looked up to see the Tsuchikage with a welcoming hand out.

"Lord Tsuchikage," whispered Hikari as he took Owabi's hand. Owabi helped him up before looking away to the villagers.

"Don't take what they said to heart, young one. Your connections with Orochimaru weren't of your own volition, we both know that," he said with a smile, patting Hikari's head.

"Greetings, Lord Tsuchikage," said a long, white-haired male walking towards the two. A young jet black-haired male, around the same age as Hikari, was walking next to him.

"May I ask who you are?" asked Owabi. Hikari looked over to the unknown man.

"Ah, my name is Gyatsō Mataba. I'm a visitor from the Hidden Grass village," said Gyatsō as he bowed with respect. He then looked up to eye Hikari.

"Tonight must have been rough for our young friend."

"Are you his parent?" asked Owabi.

"No, but I am concerned about him. I'm trained in medical ninjutsu, so his wounds shouldn't be worried about. But my, my, I can hear his stomach from over here! At the very least, Lord Tsuchikage, I can feed him if you'd like," he chuckled out.

Owabi nodded, also chuckling a little. He then bade them farewell before turning away. The Tsuchikage walked towards the group of villagers, possibly to scold them for their behaviour. Gyatsō stared at Owabi with a deep glare, barely noticing that Hikari was pulling on his robe.

"Yes, I'm hungry. Where can I eat?" he asked. Gyatsō looked down at Hikari with a gentle smile, placing a hand on his shoulder. The black-haired male aside Gyatsō scoffed, examining Hikari himself.

"I know that your heart towards this village has become cold. For being affiliated with Orochimaru, you're seen as a traitor by the villagers, as Orochimaru attacked the village quite some time ago. But I can help you mold that cold heart into something greater," said Gyatsō.

Hikari looked at the group of villagers staring at him before looking back at Gyatsō.

"Uh..?"

"Pledge loyalty to me and my Hidden Dark Nation, Hikari Notori. When the time comes, I will help you exact revenge on the Hidden Stone," he whispered, looking him in the eyes. Hikari didn't respond.

"Tell me, Hikari. What is it that you want to do in this world?" asked Gyatsō.

"...I don't know, Gyatsō," Hikari replied timidly, clutching his fists tightly. It was just obvious that the boy was bottling something up, so Gyatsō continued to try and push.

"Join me. With your help, I shall create a new world suited for the both of us. This village abandoned you. They betrayed you for something you could not help. Do you not wish to show them exactly what they foolishly abandoned and betrayed?" Gyatsō inquired.

The black-haired teenager walked closer to Hikari, shaking his head with disappointment. He placed his hand on his side.

"Let's not waste any more time with this guy, Lord Gyatsō. If he chooses not to do anything, then I'll end his misery and kill him myself," he said, unsheathing a katana on the side of his black cloak.

"That's enough, Zuko. For this decision is his and his alo-"

"What I want to do is show them... to show the Stone what they created! I'll join you only if I can show the Stone how much of a traitor I can really be!" Hikari replied. Gyatsō nodded in approval.

"You made a great choice, Hikari. I welcome you to the Hidden Dark Nation. Zuko, we are taking our leave."

"Yes, Lord Gyatsō."

. . . .

"Dwelling on the past won't fix your problems, Hikari! Your grudge will get you killed!" Owabi yelled, interrupting Hikari's momentary thoughts.

The blonde shinobi gritted his teeth as he performed quick hand seals. Owabi's eyes studied the hand seals, and before long, he brought that to an abrupt end as well.

"It's over, Hikari. Particle Style: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!"

The glowing structure in Owabi's hands grew in size at high speeds before it propelled towards Hikari. In an instant, he was trapped inside its confines.

Before Hikari could react, the structure exploded with a tremendous amount of force, while the exterior walls of the structure effectively restricted the size of the blast radius. As a result, Hikari was crushed until only dust particles of his body remained.

Owabi, having not lowered his guard, performed a few hand seals to stop Hide in his tracks. The serpentine male was rushing towards him by jumping off pieces of earth still crumbling in the air. Hide gasped lightly as he sensed the unaffected earth beneath him was changing.

"You're next. Earth Style: Earthen Stone Shoots!"

Owabi condensed the soil and rock in the area with his chakra. Suddenly, the ground sprouted out in the form of four large spikes which attacked Hide from four separate directions in an attempt to skewer him, making it harder to evade. And it did as such, as the blue-haired male was stopped in his tracks when they impaled him.

Owabi flew towards Hide, performing hand seals for Particle style once again.

"I'll vaporise you just as I did with Hikari, and then, I'll kill Gyatsō. You Osore folk will deeply regret taking steps in my village," he said.

Before he could launch Particle style at the immobile Hide, a bright yellow aura engulfed Owabi's body, startling him.

_What_ _is_ _this__?!_ he thought.

He quickly turned around to look into Hikari's piercing eyes. The Tsuchikage gasped and quickly jumped forward, mistakingly taking his eyes off of Hide.

The serpentine male's body stretched out from the spikes to wrap around the old man and constricted him as if he were a snake.

"Keep him still, Hide. I'll deal the final blow now," said Hikari, pulling out a needle similar to the one he used to incapacitate Itachi earlier. Owabi gritted his teeth before hanging his head down, seemingly defeated.

"How did you escape my jutsu?!" he demanded. Hikari laughed gently as if were a dumb question. He then pointed to a small seal located on the side of Owabi's neck.

"Supido: Insutantoshīru."

Hikari appeared in front of the immobile Owabi. His hand was resting on the seal.

"A space-time ninjutsu that allows me to place a seal on a target and teleport to it. You think that your Particle Style can vaporise anything instantly, but I was able to seal you while being attacked by your jutsu at the same time. I'm faster than anything you throw at me," Hikari replied with a slight smirk. Owabi shook his head negatively, which surprised him.

"Let's put that to the test," the Tsuchikage said. There was some confidence in his tone, which confused Hikari even more considering his situation.

"Tsuchikage, what can you do immobilised?"

"It'd be wise for you to not underestimate my will nor my abilities."

Suddenly, Owabi's body was encased in rock from the nearest vicinity, which also trapped Hide in it. Hikari bounded back, gritting his teeth a little.

_H__e_ _used_ _Earth_ _Style__: __Rock_ _Shelter_ _without_ _hand_ _seals__. __How_ _did_ _he_ _manipulate_ _his_ _chakra__ in the ground then? __Wait__.. __his_ _feet__?!_

"You're skilled with your jutsu, that much is true. But this futile attempt of yours will only delay your death!" Hikari yelled. The rock surrounding Owabi's body fell off but kept its enclosed form, ensuring Hide was still stuck around it.

_He_ _also_ _used__ the Lightened __Boulder_ _Jutsu_ _to_ _free_ _himself_ _from__ Hide, __huh__? __Damn_ _you, __Owabi__._

Owabi scoffed and took to the sky again. The elder man looked Hikari in the eyes again, visually agitated.

"On that day, what did Gyatsō tell you that made you so brainwashed?" he inquired.

Hikari frowned at the word "brainwashed" as he began to slowly unzip his cloak, revealing several more needles strapped to his body. He initially tried to ignore the question but he couldn't resist speaking.

"You're the one who's brainwashed. The Five Kage think they control balance in the shinobi world when they're the ones who spread misery and suffering," Hikari replied coldly, closing his eyes.

"And you think Gyatsō would be any better of a choice for a leader, Hikari?!" Owabi yelled at him, trying to make sense of the younger male's motives.

"This conversation is over. The Hidden Stone is no more, just like you."

Hikari performed a single hand seal as he opened one of his eyes. His pupil was a lighter shade of blue with a mark identical to Owabi's seal along his cornea.

Owabi suddenly crashed onto the ground with pained groans. Veins popped out of his neck and forehead. His bloodshot eyes rested on Hikari, who merely stared down at him with contempt.

With a flick of his finger, the blonde-haired Osore member sent his needle through Owabi's forehead. Within moments, the elderly shinobi's eyes grew dull.

The chakra-infused earth encasing Hide crumbled right after, prompting him to quickly shake the rest off of him and stand.

"Old bastard was smarter than I thought. At least he's dead now," Hide sighed out with relief. His eyes then darted to the side to watch a silent Hikari, who was walking further up north.

"Where are you going now?" Hide asked.

"To Lord Gyatsō. Wherever Sebbech may be, it's not our job to kill every single Hidden Stone ninja. That's why we have Orochimaru. But, given our lord's condition, it's possible that we're staying here tonight," Hikari replied.

Hide simply shrugged his shoulders and followed behind Hikari.


	41. Dead Tree Leaves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Night has fallen, ending the first day of the Fifth Great Ninja War. Gyatsō and his remaining subordinates are recuperating in the conquered Hidden Stone. Back in the Hidden Leaf, Akazo and his allies are imprisoned for the time being.

"Akazo."

No response.

"Akazo. Wake up."

The motionless ANBU member in question twitched a little bit before slowly opening his eyes.

When he saw that Sasuke was the one at his side, he felt relieved. He also felt a sharp pain coursing throughout his body when he tried to sit up, which forced a grunt or two out of him. Sasuke smiled a little at his partner, relieved himself that he didn't sustain any serious injuries.

Akazo immediately noticed that his stomach, along with other regions of his body such as his arm and head, was bandaged. When he asked Sasuke who did that for him, the Uchiha clan member pointed to himself with a thumb.

"Thanks, Sasuke," his partner said.

Akazo also quickly noticed that they were in a confined, cold room behind several locks. Other Konoha ninja like Ebisu and Kurenai were also in the room. They appeared to be unconscious.

"Where in the hell are we?" Akazo asked his partner as he picked at the numerous bandages on his body.

"We've been imprisoned by Orochimaru's shinobi for the time being. Tonnes of our ninja are in this state, too. The ones who kept fighting were just slaughtered in broad daylight," Sasuke replied, recalling what he experienced when he awoke.

Akazo gritted his teeth as he inspected the room, now realising they were inside of Konoha's correctional facility. A sudden fear then entered his mind.

"Where's Ketsueki?"

Sasuke pointed to a figure in the dark corner of the room. It was Ketsueki, who gave Akazo a little smile and waved at him with two fingers. Akazo smiled back at him, relieved again.

"I'm glad that you two are okay," Akazo told him.

Ketsueki stood up, holding onto his injured ribs. Now that he was out of the dark corner, Akazo could clearly see the numerous cuts and bruises on his body. Even his hair was a mess.

The redheaded Kuraiya clan member winced in pain as he walked over to Sasuke and Akazo and dropped a piece of paper in front of them. Sasuke picked it up, studying the small, almost illegible characters.

"What's this?" he asked.

"A message from one of my sources. That woman from the Osore, Seiko, is the one in charge of the village so long as the Hidden Sound and Dark are here. And from the looks of it, they're staying here permanently," Ketsueki replied, using a finger to wipe away blood underneath his eye.

"Wait, _she's_ in charge?! What happened to Lady Nori?" Akazo inquired. The last time he saw her was when he and Sasuke were debriefing Orochimaru's initial attack on the village. He had no idea that those events would transpire into chaos that put the existence of the Five Great Nations at risk.

"Orochimaru killed the Hokage. Another one of my sources also just notified me that the acting Tsuchikage in the Stone was killed by the Osore. We're assuming Gyatsō is going to execute all five of the Kage, then replace them with a member of the Osore. Just as he did here."

Akazo hung his head down, which of course was significantly difficult due to the pain. To have the Hokage defeated was demoralising to all ninja from the Leaf, especially someone like Akazo. Sasuke put a hand on his partner's shoulder, trying to reassure him. Ketsueki looked over to the locked door as he heard someone approaching them from outside.

"The day will come when we take the village back, Akazo. Don't forget that we're shinobi of the Leaf," Sasuke said to his partner. Akazo nodded slowly before also looking over to the door, which was now being unlocked.

A male donning a headband from the Hidden Sound scoffed at the imprisoned ninjas as he opened the door. He inspected all of them carefully before asking them a question.

"Is there a Ketsueki Kuraiya in there?" he had asked.

Akazo and Sasuke looked at the man cautiously. Neither one of them responded. Ketsueki glared at the man, also uneasy with his sudden appearance.

"I'm Ketsueki. What do you want?" the swordsman replied, walking towards the shinobi.

"Oh, so _you're_ the pompous little shit that got in Gyatsō's way?"

The Hidden Sound ninja grabbed Ketsueki by the torn collar of his cloak and tossed him outside of the cell, where he was surrounded by a few other guards.

They all began to viciously beat him on the ground, prompting his allies to try and help him. But since they were injured to such a degree, the shinobi had already re-locked the door by the time the two ANBU members stood up. His cackling echoed throughout the long corridor.

"Bastards!" Akazo yelled, tears of immense pain from moving flooding his eyes. Sasuke gritted his teeth with anger before he directed a fist to the metallic door. The guards then picked the battered Ketsueki up, who never tried once to retaliate. He hung his head down as he panted hard.

"Once I break out of here, I'll kill all of you!" Akazo yelled, punching at the door just as Sasuke did. Ketsueki forced himself to raise his head and looked at Akazo, his purple eyes looking into Akazo's darker hues.

"C-calm yourselves. This is a time where we must be p-patient and careful. Even if you were to break out of here... what then? Could just the two of you retake a village with thousands of enemy shinobi roaming around? Think about this, Akazo," Ketsueki managed to say through pained breaths.

Akazo didn't respond, he was too troubled and confused to these sudden events. Sasuke, more composed than his partner, thanked the red-haired shinobi before the guards dragged Ketsueki away.

"Where are you taking me?" he asked them.

"To Lady Seiko. She wants to talk with you."

After a few minutes of walking, they pushed him through a wooden door located at the end of the hall. Ketsueki landed on his stomach, which forced another grunt out of his mouth.

He held onto his ribs as he hesitantly sat up again to eye an orange-haired woman looking down at him. He recognised her as Seiko, one of the Osore members that he fought alongside Itachi earlier.

"We meet again, you son of a bitch," she said, cracking her knuckles. Ketsueki looked away to the side, annoyed already with the woman.

"What do you want with me?" he demanded.

"I'm going to tell you a few things before I get my revenge for what you did to Lord Sebbech."

Ketsueki looked back at her, squinting his eyes in suspicion. What could she possibly want to tell him?

"A few things...?"

Seiko walked over to the desk in front of the open window in the room. She looked outside of the window, eyeing a small group of Hidden Sound shinobi still fighting against resisting Leaf ninja. She then turned back around to look him in the eye.

"You remember your little girl, right?" she asked with a smirk, sweeping a hand through the hair that was covering her eye.

Ketsueki's eyes widened as he felt his heartbeat pace faster in a matter of seconds, his breathing becoming more rapid and erratic. Just the thought of any harm towards his daughter or ex-wife could make him like this. He left his family to protect them, or so he convinced himself.

"Kaori... my daughter, did you kill my daughter?!" he demanded, tears already starting to form in his eyes. Seiko laughed a little to herself, adoring the despair the man was riddled with.

"Almost. When Lord Gyatsō and the others were going to the Hidden Stone, that bitch had the nerve to ambush them! She wouldn't have made it out alive if she didn't pull that stupid little disappearing bullshit out of her ass," she replied.

_My little Kaori learned that technique? She really has grown..._

"Speaking of disappearing, why are you so worried about that useless girl when you abandoned her and her mother?" Seiko asked coldly. Her little smile formed into a smirk. She wanted to anger Ketsueki to the point of where he hurt himself trying to hurt _her_.

Ketsueki placed a hand on his chest, his breaths becoming slower and slower. When he finally composed himself, he stood up. His eyes were still on Seiko. It seems that her attempt failed, as he didn't look as agitated as she thought he'd be, if at all.

"I knew it'd take more than you people to take Kaori down. Good. She still has that fighting spirit," Ketsueki said to himself with a wide smile. He felt great pride as both a member of the Kuraiya clan and as a father.

Seiko scoffed, visibly agitated herself.

"I wanted to have Lord Gyatsō ship your daughter's corpse to you, but it looks like I'll have to make it the other fucking way around," she said, performing a few hand seals. Ketsueki rose his arms as an act of defence, brushing her comment aside.

"My daughter hates me, there'd be no point in doing that... not that you can kill me by yourself to begin with."

"You cocky little fucker. I'll paint these walls with your blood in Lord Sebbech's name!!" Seiko screamed, running towards the red-haired shinobi.

When she was close enough, Ketsueki dodged the kick that was aimed for his head and turned around to direct an elbow to the woman's stomach. Upon impact, Seiko began to giggle as her body dispersed into orange petals.

Ketsueki took a few steps back, gritting his teeth with frustration.

_She trapped me in a genjutsu already? I have no prior knowledge of her abilities. Perhaps I underestimated her__._

A palpable figure sent a series of punches to Ketsueki's ribs, which forced him to bound backwards. When his feet landed on the ground, something tripped him. He quickly moved his leg upwards to strike the object in particular. When it connected, the object also dispersed into orange petals.

Seiko continued to giggle as she grabbed the injured male by the hair and lifted his entire body over her shoulders. Ketsueki gritted his teeth a little as he looked down at her.

_She's manipulating my senses with different illusions at __once__, all without a __dojutsu__, as well. I can't believe how proficient she is with her genjutsu._

"You're right, I _am s_killed in genjutsu. Lord Gyatsō appointed me the leader of this shitty village for a reason," said the woman. Ketsueki gasped lightly, shocked that she knew what he was thinking.

"Damn you, woman... making me say my own thoughts, too?" he asked her. Seiko giggled a little more before throwing Ketsueki back onto the floor. In a matter of moments, he felt a blade prick his stomach. Ketsueki blinked a few times to notice that Seiko was sitting on top of him with a kunai held against him.

She had deactivated the genjutsu. To be bested with just a kunai now angered Ketsueki, who tried to headbutt the Osore member on top of him, but the pain he felt from just slightly raising his head was too severe for him to continue.

"You know, if it wasn't for your interference earlier, I probably would've liked you. Oh well."

Ketsueki's eyes widened when he felt her lips press against his after she finished talking. After staring at her face, completely rapt, he abruptly redirected his attention to the kunai that was now quickly digging into his stomach.

In the Hidden Stone, the conditions were the same as the Leaf's. Their shinobi were being thrown left and right into their prisons, with the ones still opposing the Hidden Sound's advancements killed immediately.

Sebbech, Hikari, Zuko, Hide, and Gyatsō were resting inside of the Tsuchikage's residence. It had been a few days after the Tsuchikage's death and the collaborated invasion of the village from the Sound and Dark. Just the previous night, Zuko gave Gyatsō his right eye so that he could once again have a pair of Shaolin. Unfortunately for him though, this did not grant him the Mūgetsu.

When Gyatsō awoke, he looked over to the side of the room to see Hikari, who looked at him back. Bags were under the young man's eyes. Gyatsō threw the blanket off himself before standing up and walking towards him. 

"Did you not get any rest, Hikari?" the white-haired Osore leader asked him. Hikari shook his head.

"No, Lord Gyatsō. I spent the night thinking about something," Hikari replied. Gyatsō was interested about what his subordinate was pondering, although he had an idea of what that was.

"Could it be, perhaps, that you're not sure if you want to stay in the village or continue aiding me?"

Hikari looked into his superior's eyes. Gyatsō looked at the male questioningly, not knowing the blonde man's motives after all. Or so he thought.

"I'm leaving the village with you. I've exacted my revenge against the Hidden Stone, but my real goal to make a new world with you has yet to be completed. Besides, this village is below me, it's been below me ever since the day I met you. I'd much rather be an instrument for you to play as you see fit in your quest for world domination," Hikari replied as he closed his tired, weary eyes.

Gyatsō nodded and put the kunai that he was holding back into his ninja tools pouch. If Hikari wouldn't come with him just because he fulfilled his promise, he would've killed him.

"The one who's staying in the village as its new leader is Hide. Go and inform him of his new position," Gyatsō ordered Hikari. The blonde male nodded and walked towards the door that was now being opened.

It was Sebbech, with an envelope in his hand.

"Lord Gyatsō, this document is from the Hidden Mist. It is of great importance," he said as he walked towards Gyatsō. After opening the envelope, the green-haired male handed Gyatsō a sheet of paper labeled as urgent.

Gyatsō began to read the characters on the letter after skipping its greeting. He then widened his eyes before looking up to his subordinates with a smirk.

"It appears that the Hidden Mist is on our side in this war."


	42. Return of Blood Mist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Seventh Mizukage, Mya Terumi, and her twin brother, Mio Terumi, are determined to ally the Hidden Mist with the Hidden Dark. Former Sixth Mizukage Chojuro isn't having any of it, though. He concocts an operation that will pit himself against his superiors for their own good.

"What the hell are you even thinking anymore, Lady Mya?!" former Mizukage Chojuro yelled. Just outside of the Mizukage's residence, the blue-haired swordsman was following a shorter woman wearing the Mizukage's hat. There was a tone of disbelief in his voice with good reason. 

The woman reached her hand up to the hat before taking it off. She had long, blue hair with a pair of hazel eyes. Her clothing was similar to the Hidden Mist's previous Mizukage, Mei Terumi: a long-sleeved, dark blue dress that falls just below the knees.

In fact, this woman was Mei's daughter and the seventh shinobi to be bestowed with that title.

Mya then looked behind her to glare at Chojuro after she stopped walking. She smiled weakly at the male and began to walk again, her hat resting at her side.

"Swearing like that is out of character for you, Chojuro," she said. Another shinobi from the Hidden Mist was following behind them. He looked very similar to Mya, other than his shorter hair and darker clothing style. A bandaged sword was also sheathed on his back.

"It's also out of line," he told Chojuro. The sixth of the shinobi to be named Mizukage looked back at the male, also sending him an uneasy glare. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, was he the only sane one out of them?

"Lord Mio, are you actually going through with this, too? How could you even consider this?! I could've sworn that as the Mizukage's right hand man, you'd take the lives of our shinobi into consideration!" Chojuro exclaimed. Mio scoffed at the younger swordsman.

"I _am. _This decision will better the lives of our shinobi. Lord Chojuro, aren't you aware of the hatred spreading around the village? These seeds of hatred were planted by Lord Fourth, and we plan on plucking out the weeds that will soon grow," he explained.

Chojuro gritted his teeth and grabbed Mio by the collar of his top. It was obvious that this response angered him even more. 

"Weeds? You can't speak of the villagers as if they're.. deplorable! To return as the Blood Mist village... that won't better anyone's lives, _everyone_ will be put in jeopardy!"

Mya then stopped walking and turned around to glare at Chojuro again. The taller male looked over to her, still livid. The Mizukage ignored his expression and began to talk.

"Any nation's dream is to be the most powerful compared to its neighbours. As the Blood Mist, our shinobi were hardened and strong, they lacked empathy for others. Currently, we're suffering the biggest lull the village has ever faced due to how weak we've become," she told him.

"With all due respect, Lady Mya, I don't see what that has to do with this haphazard decision you've made," Chojuro responded. 

"Don't you see? The opportunity to instead become the greatest nation has revealed itself through Gyatsō Mataba!" she yelled at him. Chojuro's eyes widened as he closely listened to the woman's explanation, failing to make any sense of it.

"Greatest nation...?! We won't even be _recognised_ as a nation under his tyranny! You don't believe any of his crap... you're just too scared to die like the other Kages whose villages were taken control of!" Chojuro shot back at her. 

Mya clenched her fists and laughed gently at his accusation. Mio then grabbed the blue-haired shinobi by the shoulder. He felt the need to step in due to Chojuro's sudden disrespect towards his sister.

"I liked you better when you didn't talk as much under my mother's term. Speaking to the Mizukage like this after she already made her decision... that should be considered as insubordination. If you continue this, I'll have you imprisoned," Mio warned him.

Chojuro looked back at Mio with a disgusted facial expression.

"Imprisoned, huh? Just like everyone else who refuses to buy into this crap."

"Watch your tongue, Chojuro. I've been lenient with you because you were the Mizukage, but you don't have too many chances left."

"Your mother was the Fifth Mizukage and she would have never considered this. The goal of a nation isn't to be the most powerful, it's to ensure that its citizens remain safe. Gyatsō doesn't want to keep anyone safe, that insane bastard wants everything to be destroyed! Actually, if he even steps in this village, I'll kill him!" Chojuro declared. He then held onto the grip of his Hiramekarei sword to let his two superiors know he was serious.

Mya turned her back to the two males and crossed her arms. After a few moments of silence, she turned her head a little to look back at Chojuro.

"This is the vision we have for the future of the village. If you can't see it, maybe you were never meant to be Mizukage. Maybe you were never meant to be a shinobi of the Hidden Mist. In that case, you're free to defect from the village, Chojuro," she said. Chojuro opened his mouth a little before walking closer to the woman.

"Don't you know that Gyatsō wants every Kage to be killed? Don't misunderstand, Lady Mya, I'm not against the village nor you. I won't ever let him kill Lady Mei's daughter so long as I'm breathing," he replied. Mya chuckled to herself before letting her arms down in defeat.

"You won't listen to me, there's no point in continuing this. I'll say it again, you can defect from the village if you so choose. Let's go, Mio," the woman said. Chojuro stopped following behind the two siblings and stared at them walk away.

When they were out of sight, the former Mizukage reached over his back to tear the bandages off his blade. 

Hiramekarei looked the same as it did when he last used it at the Five Kage Summit - a wide, flat blade with two curved indentations near its base, creating a cross-guard. Two handles were connected to one another by a short length of cord.

The blue-haired male already began to store some chakra into the blade. He was determined to face Gyatsō and end the tyranny he was creating.

_"Future of the village," she says._ _Going back to the Blood Mist is thinking of the village's past. I'll show them the true future_.

"Lord Gyatsō, did you say the Hidden Mist is on our side?" Hikari asked his superior. Gyatsō nodded at the blonde-haired shinobi as he put on his cloak. 

"Indeed. The daughter of the Fifth Mizukage is the one who succeeded her as the village's leader, so she has the ability to make this decision," Gyatsō told him. Sebbech looked over to the white-haired male, looking to correct him.

"I was certain that one of that woman's bodyguards... you know, that kid who's a member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist-"

"His name is Chojuro, and you're correct. He became the Sixth Mizukage, but he stepped down from office just a few weeks ago. It's ironic that Mei believed her predecessor created chaos throughout the Hidden Mist, and now, here's her daughter, looking to do the same thing," Hikari replied with a subtle laugh. Gyatsō looked over to him.

"That won't be the actual case, however. The Five Great Nations will cease to exist in my world. As such, the awaited revival of the Hidden Blood Mist will not be carried out," he added in. Sebbech smirked to himself and nodded at his superior.

"When will we depart for the Mist, then?" Hikari asked.

"Now. The Hidden Stone's resistance is hanging by but a thread, so there's no need for us to intervene. We must preserve our strength for the invasion of the Hidden Cloud, the only village left for me to make an example out of," the Osore leader replied.

"Their Raikage is a perfect Jinchuriki and their shinobi are exceptionally persistent. Do we have a plan?" Sebbech asked.

"Raikage and shinobi alike, nobody on this earth is capable of stopping me. The Hidden Cloud is but a mere obstacle that I am more than ready to overcome for the sake of my project," said Gyatsō.

Hide then suddenly appeared in the room. He got to his knees and bowed to Gyatsō.

"My lord, the remaining Iwagakure resistance has just fallen. At your word, I will lead Orochimaru's forces to imprison any survivors," the serpentine male said. Gyatsō crossed his arms and pulled the hood of his cloak on as he walked towards the door.

"See to it, Hide. The rest of you, come. We have a meeting with the Mizukage to attend, and I would hate to keep her waiting."

"Do you guys understand what we're doing this for?" asked Chojuro. He was standing before a small group of shinobi in a darkened room. All of them were wearing tracking shinobi masks to hide their identities. One of them walked towards the blue-haired swordsman.

"Gyatsō Mataba has already taken control of the Leaf, and who knows what's going on in the Stone now? We don't have any time to sit here and talk among ourselves, we know what we're doing this for," the masked female replied. Chojuro nodded at her.

"I hope the intel you gave us was right, Kanako. Half of you are coming with me to intercept Gyatsō and his men. The rest of you will apprehend Lady Mya and keep her away from him to ensure her safety," he told them.

The lights suddenly turned on. Chojuro quickly turned around in shock as he looked over to the large group of shinobi that was now facing them, their weapons drawn. Mya and Mio were in front of them, both of the Mist shinobi angrily looking over to Chojuro.

"I knew you'd plot against the village, you traitor!" Mya yelled at him. 

"I'm not a traitor, I'm doing this to help the village... and you, too!" Chojuro told her before gritting his teeth with frustration. He was lost in his own thoughts, wondering who was it that ratted them out.

Mio began to run towards him with his own unique blade drawn. Just like Chojuro, Mio was accepted into the Seven Mist Swordsmen. They were also within the same generation, sharing spots with five other notably powerful swordsmen from the village.

"You can help _yourself_ by dying to my Sewing Needle, Chojuro!" he yelled at him.

Mio's blade itself assumed the form of a narrow long-sword that greatly resembled a large needle, with a long length of thin-mirroring thread, tied through the eye located at the base of its hilt. His sword is said to possess the ability to pierce all and stitch them together, demonstrated through its ability to effortlessly penetrate multiple targets in a single thrust and then quite literally stitched them together in substantial bundles, by simply pulling the attached wire taut.

Chojuro took a few steps back, greatly reluctant to battle with his superior. Two of his shinobi dashed towards the approaching swordsman, fully intent on stopping him. Mio smirked to himself and rose the blade in front of himself.

_Ninja Art Long Blade... Stitching Spider._

Using the Sewing Needle, Mio buried the sword's attached razor sharp underground. Once the two ninjas got closer to him, he pulled the string to trap their feet in a sudden formation of wire. Before they could react, the sharp wire sliced their feet off.

"Kaito! Itsuki!" yelled Chojuro, who was still backing away from Mio.

More of his shinobi ran towards the Mizukage's brother with a loud battle roar. Chojuro widened his eyes, realising the danger that they were now facing.

"Stop, now! Don't get any closer to Lord Mio!" he warned them. To no avail, the masked shinobi continued to dash towards him.

"These idiots," Mio chuckled to himself. With a single pull of his hand, he pierced Sewing Needle through all of the incoming men and women, all of whom were within a single line. He then caught the needle at the other side to repeat this at a different angle, once again effortlessly piercing multiple shinobi all at once.

"Stop, Lord Mio! These are your own shinobi!" Chojuro pleaded. He couldn't bear seeing this, especially at the hands of Mio.

"You say they're _my _shinobi? They're traitors, and so are you!" Mio yelled back at him. After throwing the blade back to himself to catch the needle, he quickly threw it towards Chojuro, looking to kill him just as fast.

Chojuro dodged the incoming needle and grabbed Hiramekarei by both of its handles. Mio smirked at the younger male, anticipated to fight against a former member of the Seven Mist Swordsmen.

"Hiramekarei... Release."

The Sixth Mizukage's sword emitted a fair amount of chakra from the holes on the tip of the blade. It then quickly coated the entirety of the blade to form a long-sword. Chojuro charged at Mio with an angry facial expression, paying close attention to the movements he'd make with his Sewing Needle.

"L-Lord Mio, forgive me... but I won't let Gyatsō Mataba take control of the village... nor the very shinobi world!!"


	43. Swordsmen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chojuro and Mio, both current members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, go all out against each other as the ordeal in the Mist continues.

Chojuro continued to sprint towards Mio. As he quickly approached him, his chakra-infused Hiramekarei dragged against the ground, which sliced through it in the process and filled the area with a loud rumble. Even though Mio was his superior within both the Seven Mist Swordsmen and the village's officials, he deemed it entirely necessary to take him down before Gyatsō could get to the village.

"I admire this drive of yours, Chojuro, but you're a traitor whose life puts the future of the Hidden Mist at risk," Mio yelled at him with his smirk still present on his face. Before he became an advisor for the Mizukage, he was a reputable swordsman who enjoyed mercilessly cutting down threats to the village. He now saw Chojuro as such a threat.

"Damnit, Lord Mio... stop being so ignorant! Gyatsō's the one who endangers all of us! I'll ask you one last time to open your eyes and see the truth!" Chojuro yelled back.

"That's the _last _time you talk to your superior like that, boy! I told you to watch your tongue, so now you die!"

Mio brought his hand back to catch his Sewing Needle again. The long needle pulled out of its previous targets and now was heading Chojuro's way.

The younger swordsman watched the needle closely as he neared Mio. When it got close enough, he took his eyes off his opponent and moved his body to the side to dodge the incoming weapon. Big mistake.

With another effortless movement of his hand, Mio brought the needle around to have it flying towards Chojuro's back. Chojuro quickly brought his Hiramekarei to his unguarded back in an attempt to block it, as the sword-infused blade had enhanced defencive properties.

However, when the needle reached him, it tore through the hardened blade to pierce Chojuro through the back. The younger male's eyes widened as he coughed up blood and fell to the ground with Sewing Needle still piercing through him. He then looked forward to eye Mio, who was cackling at him.

"I'm far more experienced with my Sewing Needle than you are with that toy of yours. Nothing is strong enough to withstand my blade, especially not a pitiful sword like Hiramekarei!" Mio told him through his rampant laughter.

Several wires then wrapped around Chojuro's body to immobilise and cut him at the same time. Blood began to leak from under the former Mizukage's body as Mio was now constricting the wires with his own physical strength. Mya gritted her teeth and looked away from the ordeal.

"If only you just left like I told you to, Chojuro. Hurry up and finish him off, Mio!" she yelled over to her brother.

"With him dead, we can finish the preparations for Gyatsō's arrival. Consider this already done," Mio responded.

He then appeared over Chojuro's body with the needle held above the younger male's neck. Chojuro blinked a few times before slowly looking up to the blade. A faint light glistened off of it and caused him to flinch a little. Mio smirked a little as he squatted down and looked into Chojuro's eyes.

"I'll give you this much respect even though you are a traitor. Do you have any final words, Lord Sixth Mizukage?" he asked softly. Chojuro took a few moments before closing his eyes.

"...Lord Mio, isn't it protocol to never underestimate a fellow swordsman?" Chojuro asked him back.

Suddenly, multiple light-blue chakra needles impaled Mio through his back, forcing an abrupt cry out of him. Chojuro then roared loudly as he pushed his arms away from his body to force the wires around him to quickly snap. This, of course, cut his body severally, but he was now free.

Hiramekarei was engulfed in even more chakra, indicating that Chojuro was using the situation to store more of it inside his sword. He even used some of it to hone his physical prowess for a short period of time.

Chojuro gritted his teeth in pain as he slowly wobbled over Mio's now immobile body. The chakra needles were sent from Hiramekarei itself for his Honenuki Bone: Mutilation technique. The younger swordsman laughed to himself a little, pleased to know that he outsmarted his superior.

"S-smile now, but just wait, Chojuro!" Mio growled angrily at him. The needles had pierced several of his chakra points, which surprised Chojuro, seeing how the male was now reaching for him. In a few seconds, however, his arm fell to the ground.

"That sure wasn't easy," Chojuro sighed to himself. He then stood up with a little bit of difficulty due to the serious cuts around his body. When he was fully on his feet, a pool of blood had already gathered at his feet, and was growing by the second.

Mya looked over to him with an unconcerned facial expression. She could already tell that he was going to try and reason with her again, with only his side being brought up by him. As soon as he opened his mouth to speak to her, she began to perform multiple hand seals.

"Lady Mya, please just hear me out!"

"Don't even try it... Lava Style: Monster Jutsu."

Just like her mother's use of the Lava Style kekkei genkai, Mya changed chakra inside her body into a powerful acidic fluid and spat out the viscous fluid from her mouth to manipulate a strong acidic mud flow. It quickly approached Chojuro as the speed increases at a closer range.

Knowing full well the mechanics of the Lava Style, Chojuro immediately jumped far back to dodge the initial shot. When the acidic fluid came into contact with the ground, a massive amount of smoke was created by its effects.

Mya clenched her fists a little as she began to run forward. She then stopped and quickly turned around to now be looking into Chojuro's dark eyes. He had used the Silent Killing technique to mask his movements and sneak up behind her without being heard. Hiramekarei was pointed to her back.

"Lady Mya, I'm going off to kill Gyatsō Mataba now. Please stay inside the village and remain safe," Chojuro whispered to her.

"You kill my brother and then point your blade at me? Your grievous actions will forever brand you as a traitor," Mya replied.

"My punishment for that would be execution, but maybe Gyatsō could see to that, who knows?"

"I'm certain you're too foolish to actually survive challenging Gyatsō Mataba..."

"If that's my fate, then so be it, but I'll always try my best. Goodbye, Lady Mya."

Chojuro then suddenly disappeared from sight. Mya let out a small sigh before looking over to Mio's corpse. After shaking her head with disbelief, she walked off into the surrounding smoke.

Gyatsō, leading the remaining members of the Osore, was now closing in on the Hidden Mist Village. Hikari pulled his hood up to eye the village's entrance far ahead. Zuko had also done so after activating his first level Shaolin. They noticeably became more covered in the thick mist as they continued to walk forward.

"There doesn't seem to be any Hidden Mist shinobi outside of the village," Hikari said with a little smile. He was relieved on not having to fight another mass of ninja after doing so twice so recently.

"Nor any protecting the inside. Unless we get sneak attacked when we arrive, it seems that the Hidden Mist truly is forming an alliance with our Hidden Dark," Zuko added. The black-haired male then deactivated his Shaolin. Gyatsō lowered his hood and looked over to his subordinates.

"As I said earlier, there is no alliance to begin with. I've already decided to take the Mizukage's life, as well as her brother's. The only benefit to come from this false truce is that I don't have to waste chakra on weaklings," the white-haired male chuckled out.

Gyatsō then moved his body to the side to dodge the incoming Hiramekarei that was aiming at him. Chojuro gritted his teeth as he roared and swung the large blade over to Gyatsō's new position instantly.

The Osore leader's eyes shined a bright red as he dodged the sword again. He then bounded forwards to kick the blue-haired male in the stomach, sending him flying back. Chojuro's body was eventually masked again by the mist surrounding them, but Gyatsō's Shaolin could clearly see the swordsman standing up some distance away.

"It seems that I spoke too soon, I _do _have to waste chakra on weaklings," the white-haired shinobi muttered to himself.

"Are you Gyatsō Mataba?!" Chojuro yelled through the mist. Gyatsō laughed a little as he extended his arms, watching Chojuro's now cautious movements.

"Why, yes. And who may you be?" he asked back.

"I'm the Sixth Mizukage, and I'm here to kill you!" Chojuro replied.

Gyatsō's eyes widened a little bit as he now lost his smile. Sebbech crossed his arms as he lowered his own hood.

"So _this _was Mei's successor? How laughably pathetic," he said. Chojuro stared in their general direction. His body was now shaking a bit and his breathing paced up. Gyatsō rose an eyebrow, confused with his sudden fearful expression.

"T-that voice... Lord Sebbech..?! Is that you?!" Chojuro yelled. Gyatsō watched him silently as the blue-haired swordsman began to run towards them. Zuko also kept a close eye on him with his Shaolin.

"We never actually met, did we, Chojuro? You know that fucking woman stole my spot as the Mizukage, don't you?" Sebbech asked. A smirk was now present on his face. Now that Chojuro had closed in on them, the rest of them could see him.

"What are you _doing_ with these guys, Lord Sebbech?!" Chojuro demanded him. His eyes widened when he actually saw that it was Sebbech. The green-haired shinobi didn't give him a response, he just stared at him with a wide smirk.

"I-I heard rumours... but I never would've thought you'd go _this_ low!" Chojuro yelled at him with tears starting to sting his eyes. Gyatsō crossed his arms and looked over to Sebbech, just as puzzled as the swordsman himself.

"Sebbech... what did you not inform me of in the past?" he asked him. Sebbech let out a soft chuckle and looked over to his leader.

"Well, I guess it's time... I'll tell you the reason _why_ I'm known as the Hidden Mist's Sailor of Blood."


	44. Past and Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebbech explains to a livid Chojuro what horrifying events took place that led to him singlehandedly taking control of the Hidden Mist Village.

A noticeably younger Sebbech was standing in a dark corner of an unknown room. The room barely had enough light, which by itself was occasionally flickering on and off due to its poor quality. It appeared that he was alone until a faint thud was heard.

The green-haired shinobi slowly rose his head to look into the eyes of an orange-haired woman. It was Seiko, who had a bloodstained kunai resting in her palm. She clenched her free hand a little before dropping the knife to the floor.

"Is it done?" Sebbech asked the kunoichi. Seiko nodded as she now stared at the small blade sticking in the floor.

"Yes, milord. The Fourth Mizukage... Yagura Karatachi has just been killed by the Akatsuki organisation," she replied.

Sebbech smirked a little as he stood up and walked towards one of the few windows in the room. After swiping his hand against it as to clear away some dust, he looked outside of it to look at some villagers not too far away. By just reading their lip movements, he deduced that they, too, were conversing over the Mizukage's apparent death.

"Lord Fourth's merciless reign over the village caused us to be dubbed as the Hidden Blood Mist Village. Now that he's dead, the villagers would certainly want a more democratic person to be elected as the Fifth," he said.

"I believe that you're the perfect candidate for that title, God. However, I have dire news for you."

"Speak, woman. The opportunity for me to become Mizukage has arrived, what the hell could be dire right now?"

Seiko took out a piece of paper that looked like a photograph of someone.

"The higher ups are already considering to elect a woman named Mei Terumi as the next Mizukage. She says that she will spend her term reforming internal policies and recreating diplomatic relations with other villagers," the orange-haired woman told him. She then handed him the picture of a younger looking Mei.

Sebbech immediately crumbled the piece of paper and tossed it aside with an annoyed facial expression. He expected candidates for that title to be announced following Yagura's death, but he had no idea that it was already being done.

"I'll be damned if some random _bitch_ steals my chance of becoming Mizukage," he said through gritted teeth. Seiko walked towards him and slowly wrapped her arms around his neck. A light, pink blush was now present on her cheeks.

"What will you do, God?" she asked him softly.

Sebbech looked over to an ANBU mask and sword hanging on a wall nearby. He then turned around to look into the affectionate woman's eyes. As soon as he did so, the kunoichi pressed her lips against his to catch them in a deep kiss.

After a few seconds, the green-haired male used two fingers to grab Seiko by the chin and pushed her a few inches back. He then smirked a little to himself as he redirected his attention to the hanging items.

"Lord Yagura was a ruthless tyrant, but he sure did make sure to do his best for the village. I respect the man in that regard, so in his memory, I'll be the exact same thing."

"I'll kidnap Mei Terumi for you, God."

"No need, Seiko... I'll deal with her myself," he told her.

. . . .

Sebbech opened his eyes to look over to Chojuro, who was gritting his teeth as he listened to the shinobi's recalls of his past. The blue-haired swordsman ran towards him with a livid facial expression, despite wanting to hear more from him. He knew that it was too soon to act, but his anger still consumed him.

"I knew you did something to Lady Mei back then, bastard!" Chojuro yelled at him. Sebbech laughed at his comment as he began to slowly perform a few hand seals.

"I put you under the impression that we never met before, but it seems you remember our battle back then!" he replied.

"What did you do to her?!" Chojuro demanded. Before he could get an answer, he swung the large blade towards Sebbech's neck.

Sebbech moved his hand up to the sword to catch it easily. Chojuro immediately noticed that the shinobi's hand was now coated in chakra. Taking precaution, the swordsman quickly bounded back in case he was getting ready to launch a counterattack.

Gyatsō let his arms down to his side as he looked over to Sebbech. After hearing him mention a previous battle between the two, he realised that their current one could be a lot more personal than he thought. As such, he decided to stay out of it.

Sebbech scoffed to himself as he watched Chojuro closely. After failing to sense an attack of his own, he answered his question.

"Mei Terumi would've gotten in my way if I just sat back and did nothing," he told the blue-haired male.

He then appeared behind Chojuro with his hand against his Hiramekarei. A large chakra blade was still formed out of the male's hand. With a wide smirk, he brought his hand towards Chojuro's neck.

. . . .

A younger Chojuro quickly moved his head back to dodge the masked shinobi's incoming hand. He then brought his sword up to slice through the shinobi's body, but it dispersed into water and fell lifelessly onto the ground.

"A water clone?" he mumbled to himself.

Mei was standing behind the swordsman with her arms crossed. Soon after, the masked shinobi reappeared some distance back. Chojuro's grip around Hiramekarei tightened as he looked over to the Fifth Mizukage candidate.

"Don't worry, ma'am, I'll protect you... I mean, I think I can... well, I don't know if I actually can," he stuttered. Mei gave the bodyguard a warm smile as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I know you can, Chojuro. You're a very capable young man," she assured him.

The masked shinobi began to walk towards them again before stopping in his tracks. Seiko had suddenly appeared at his side with a sword of her own drawn.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked her. Seiko giggled for a bit as her eyes rested on Mei, who looked back at her.

"I can't let God work himself up against these two. I'll handle that bitch, you can take on that weak-looking guy," she replied.

"Weak-looking guy...?" Chojuro mumbled to himself again. He then readjusted his glasses as he gulped. He actually didn't know if he could take on Sebbech due to not knowing his capabilities.

Seiko then broke out into a loud cackle as she dashed towards Mei. Chojuro appeared in front of her and attempted to smash his sword against her to halt her movements, but Sebbech appeared at his side to direct a knee to his stomach.

The blue-haired swordsman exhaled in pain as he tried to rebalance himself, but Sebbech quickly directed another blow to send him crashing onto the ground. When Chojuro quickly looked up, the masked shinobi was in the air above him. His blade was making its way toward his head.

. . . .

Chojuro moved his head to the side to avoid being struck by the kunai Sebbech was now holding. He then quickly lifted his body up to roughly headbutt Sebbech and sent him sprawling back with a thud.

The swordsman wiped away the blood that was now running down his nose and stood up. Sebbech also began to stand up as he angrily stared at his opponent. A small amount of blood escaped the cut that was now below his eye.

"Fuck... I can't believe I let you hit me!" he growled out. He then closed his wounded eye as he performed a single hand seal.

_Water Style: Mouth Shot._

Sebbech spat out a single senbon-shaped droplet of water with high velocity. Due to the speed of the droplet, Chojuro was barely able to dodge it.

The green-haired male then continued to rapidly spit out more of the droplets, to which Chojuro was unable to avoid. Once the droplets hit him, they forcefully bursted against his skin and hurt him.

While the jutsu lacked the force to seriously endanger him, it weakened Chojuro to the point of where he was temporarily unable to guard himself. Taking advantage of this, Sebbech immediately disappeared from sight.

A single Chakra Dissection Blade pierced Chojuro through the chest.

Chojuro's eyes widened as a line of blood now slowly ran down his mouth. Sebbech was standing behind him with his hand sticking out of the other side of his chest.

The blue-haired swordsman fell to the ground, which prompted Gyatsō to smirk to himself. With only his first level Shaolin, he could clearly see that Chojuro's vital signs were failing.

Sebbech pulled his hand out of the motionless swordsman's chest and stared down at him. He then wiped the blood on his cloak before looking over to Gyatsō.

"My lord, it is done."

. . . .

Seiko quickly brought the grip of her sword against the back of Mei's neck. Upon impact, Mei fell to the ground, already unconscious. Seiko was breathing heavily and her cloak was ripped at the bottom, indicating their fight was close.

Sebbech then removed his mask, panting a little. Chojuro's unconscious body was below him. Seiko held onto her now burned arm as she looked over to the green-haired male. Mei's Vapour Style had also damaged her in their fight.

"Are... you going... to kill that boy?" she asked through long breaths. Sebbech looked down to Chojuro's body before scoffing and shaking his head. To him, he was just a pest that was in the way of capturing Mei, not a direct enemy.

"N-no, it's not necessary. What is necessary, however, is the relocation of that woman's body," he replied. He then walked over to Mei's body. After kneeling down, he placed his hand against her neck. A new black marking soon covered it.

"What's that?" Seiko pondered, pointing to the new mark.

"A curse seal that restricts movement. Should she awake when we take her to our hideout, she won't be able to move."

Seiko nodded at the male and picked up Mei's body. She staggered a little due to her wounds, but Sebbech helped her. The two then quickly left the room with her body, believing that Chojuro will die from his own wounds.

. . . .

Gyatsō let out a light yawn as he motioned for the surrounding Osore members to come closer to him. Once they did, he pointed to the village's entrance.

"This Hidden Mist will soon become a province for my nation. Sebbech, eye this sight for the last time, as it'll be the last time you see its existence," the white-haired male said.

Sebbech nodded at him before turning his head to look at the figure approaching them. After some of the mist cleared up, it was revealed to be Mya, who was smiling at them.

Gyatsō began to walk towards the woman with a little smile of his own. Zuko activated his Shaolin again to detect if any killing intent was present from the female Mizukage. He crossed his arms as he watched from behind the rest of their entourage.

"You must be Gyatsō Mataba. It's truly an honour to meet you," Mya said with an open hand. Gyatsō shook it and nodded at her words, looking back to his subordinates for a few seconds. He then looked back at her.

"Indeed. I'm pleased to meet you as well, Seventh Mizukage," he replied. Mya looked behind him to eye Sebbech, who was staring at her. His green eyes peered deeply into the woman's hazel eyes for a few silent moments.

"Master Sebbech," Mya finally said, quietly.

Hikari looked over to Sebbech with a gentle smile. He was wondering if he'd be able to control himself in the presence of his enemy's daughter.

Sebbech forced himself to smile a little as he bowed to her momentarily. 

"Lady Mizukage," the green-haired male said back.

Mya closed her eyes and smiled at the small group in front of her and invitingly waved her hands toward the village's entrance.

"Come, come. I'm certain we have quite the amount of things to discuss."


	45. Final Countdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the Hidden Mist as an unexpected ally and the Leaf, Sand, and Stone conquered, it's time for Gyatsō to go up against their final target: Fifth Raikage Killer Bee and the unwavering Hidden Cloud. The Cloud takes the initiative.

"Yo, Ken, are these documents legit, or are you just pulling my leg again?" asked a tall, dark skinned male. He had a fairly muscular build for someone who appeared to be a veteran shinobi. A tattoo of the kanji for "iron" was on his right shoulder, and a tattoo of a bull's horn was on his left cheek. The Raikage's hat laid on the table in front of him.

The shorter, bald shinobi standing in front of him bowed his head respectfully. He was still looking at the papers within the Raikage's hands. He then rose his head to answer him.

"I assure you, Lord Raikage. These reports were given to me by one of the most notable of our sources. This information is credible," Ken replied. He accompanied his words with a smile, albeit faint.

The Fifth Raikage adjusted his sunglasses before looking down at the numerous papers once again. Letting out a soft grunt, he shuffled through them, occasionally looking up at Ken in regards to them.

"Gyatsō... Mataba," he said with a confused tone. Ken looked over the Raikage's hands to catch a glimpse of Gyatsō's bingo book picture. Multiple annotations that dubbed the shinobi as an international criminal and SSS-rank criminal were written across the entire page.

"He's the one behind all of the chaos spreading around, my lord. He's an extremely powerful shinobi, managing to take down the Hidden Leaf's Hokage, the Hidden Sand's Kazekage, and the Hidden Stone's Tsuchikage," Ken told him. A bit of sweat began to run down the young man's head. He was unsure of the future for his own village.

"Don't go worrying about anything, fool, ya fool!" the Raikage told him with a wide smirk. He understood the threat that was Gyatsō, but he himself was overconfident in his own abilities. Ken wiped away his sweat with his arm-guard before nodding again.

"Yes, sir. My sincerest apologies."

The Raikage then closed his eyes. When he eventually opened them, he was in a completely different environment. A massive, ushi-oni beast with four horns atop its head was now sitting in front of him. They were both surrounded by darkness, but they didn't seem to care for it.

The large beast was the Eight Tails, one of the strongest of the Tailed Beasts. It was still sealed within its longtime companion and Jinchuriki, Killer Bee.

Bee looked up to the Tailed Beast with a smile, to which it nodded down at him.

"Yo, Eight-o, this Gyatsō fellow seems to be quite the issue, no? Is he just doing this for show?" he asked him.

"...I thought I told you ages ago to stop calling me that, just call me Gyuki. Even after becoming the Sixth Raikage, you're still so informal," Gyuki told him with a rude tone. Regardless, when Bee rose his fist as a friendly gesture, he accepted and gave him a fist bump.

"Plus, your rapping is still god awful. Some things just aren't meant to change," Gyuki added. Bee laughed a little at the comment and jumped on top of the beast's nose.

"Aw, c'mon. Don't be like that. We really gotta deal with this crazy rat," Bee said with a loud sigh.

"This Gyatsō guy has the Shaolin, but I'm not seeing how that's even possible. The Taisega clan of the Hidden Valleys died out a long time ago," Gyuki said. Bee crossed his arms for a few seconds before scratching his head with a soft laugh.

"Shaolin, huh? You know, those reports said that it's an ocular jutsu. Reminds me of that Sharingan boy who tried to jump me like a shrew, yo," he said. Gyuki chuckled a bit as he looked up to his Jinchuriki.

"That doesn't matter at all, genjutsu won't work on you. I'll think of how to handle this guy, you need to get back out there and address the villagers. We don't want them to buy into Gyatsō's nonsense and start a revolt before he even comes here."

"The Hidden Cloud is stronger than that. By the time he tries to come here, we'll already be prepared to wipe him out," Bee responded with a serious tone. 

"No rhyming or anything this time? I rarely see you like this," Gyuki chuckled out.

Bee turned away from the Tailed Beast before closing his eyes once more, ignoring his companion's subtle joking.

"Lord Sebbech, if you don't mind my asking, I'd like to know what exactly happened after my mother was kidnapped."

Back in the Hidden Mist Village, Mya and the Osore were sitting at a round table located in the Mizukage's residence. The female Mizukage had her arms crossed as she awaited the green-haired shinobi's response.

"Answer her, Sebbech. I'm sure we'd all like to know, including me," Gyatsō told him.

Sebbech nodded at his superior before looking at Mya with a blank facial expression. He thought that she already knew, considering she was present when he was telling Chojuro what happened between them.

"Your mother was kept in one of our hideouts. Zuko rendered her immobile with his genjutsu. I took control of the village as a sole authoritarian power, killing my opposition with my own hands," he replied. 

Mya dug her fingers into her arms as she listened to the man's words. Gyatsō glared at her wordlessly to warn her not to let her emotions get the better of her. After a few moments, she nodded slowly.

"I see. How did your reign as this... pseudo Mizukage, I suppose I can call it... how did it come to an end?" she asked.

"My son orchestrated a coup d'état with the help of a rebel army to strip me of all my power. After that, I fled the village with Seiko before we were approached by Lord Gyatsō and invited into the Hidden Dark Nation. The rest is obvious," he answered softly. He then looked over to Gyatsō and gave him a slight nod.

"Your son, you say? He must have been quite the humble man, letting Mei Terumi become the Mizukage when it could've been him instead," Zuko told him. 

"Humble my ass! He's a traitor to the Hidden Mist and a dishonour to my family," Sebbech shot back at the younger male. Mya turned her head to look over at Gyatsō, who was starting to become visibly annoyed.

"Forgive me for going off track there, Gyatsō. It won't happen again," she told him. The Osore leader flicked his hand a little as if he was brushing her comment aside.

"Now, onto more pressing matters," Hikari said as he looked over to the woman. Mya gave him a smile as she nodded, not wanting to upset any of her guests. One wrong move and it'd be her head. This constant fear had her heart racing during the meeting.

"Ah, y-yes. I want to make it clear that I fully consent to stepping down as Mizukage, as well as disbanding the Hidden Mist Village. The village will instead become a province of your Hidden Dark Nation, and all opposition will be dealt with as you see fit," she explained.

Gyatsō crossed his arms and looked into the woman's eyes. This silent exchange caused her to become even more anxious, as she received it as another warning. She shifted in her seat as a result.

_This woman, _thought Zuko, _she's a wreck right now. It'd be better for us to just kill her and not waste time negotiating when we can just force the Mist into submission._

"Mya Terumi, whom or what was it that brought you to reach this sudden decision?" Gyatsō asked her. He suspected that some sort of influence altered her motives, even though he himself wasn't entirely sure.

"Would you like me to be honest?" the Mizukage asked back.

"Why would you ask me that, woman? Of course I do."

"The only thing that influenced me to do this is my own experience as the Sixth Mizukage. The Hidden Mist is _pathetic _compared to what we've been in the past," the blue-haired woman replied.

She then looked over to Sebbech, who rose an eyebrow at her in response.

"Lord Sebbech, you served directly under Fourth Mizukage Yagura. As the Blood Mist Village, we were an unstoppable force that caused even the Hidden Leaf to tremble at our reputation," she said. Sebbech crossed his arms as he shook his head, misunderstanding her point.

"That's undeniable, Lady Mizukage. But does that even have anything to do with your current ideology regarding the village?" he shot back at her.

"At first... I thought that reverting back to the Blood Mist would fix everything, but now I've decided that erasing the past _is_ the future for the village."

Gyatsō smirked a little to himself before chuckling lightly. He then stood up and walked towards Mya, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. This prompted her to become uneasy again.

The woman remained still for a few seconds before slowly looking up to peer into the male's radiant pair of Shaolin. She felt her body become numb, almost as if it was already preparing to be attacked, but looked absolutely dumbfounded at his words.

"I see all of the Five Great Nations in the exact same way, Terumi. For that sole similarity between us, you will live. As of now, the Hidden Mist is no more," he told her.

"The same goes for your title as Mizukage," Zuko added in.

Mya suddenly lowered her head to avoid having them look at the tears that were now stinging her eyes. She was shaking, but she felt relieved, even with Chojuro's earlier remark about her yearning for survival ringing through her head over and over.

"I understand, sir," she said quietly.

Gyatsō then walked towards the door and motioned for his subordinates to also leave. He then looked back at the silent Mizukage.

"Orochimaru's militia will soon arrive here to detain any further nuisances. One more thing. Sebbech will become the new leader of this area for the time being," the Osore leader said.

Sebbech crossed his arms as he stopped walking and looked back at Mya. After failing to see her give Gyatsō a verbal response, he instead bowed his head at the white-haired shinobi.

"Thank you, my liege. I will ensure that control will be maintained, no matter the means," he told him. Gyatsō nodded at him before turning around.

"The final countdown begins. Only when I destroy that arrogant Raikage and his village will my dream of uniting this bloodstained shinobi world come closer to becoming a reality. All wars, all suffering, all malignancies_..._ they will cease to exist!"

He then left the room with a thunderous cackle. His subordinates followed after him, leaving Sebbech and Mya behind. 

Gyatsō kept his smirk on his face as he quickly sprinted down the hall. After a few seconds, he directed his attention to the large window that was next to him. Widening his eyes, he immediately noticed dark electricity was quickly approaching him. 

Within a blink of an eye, he moved his body to narrowly evaded the electricity, which had just crashed through the window and building. Debris and glass flew in all directions. He then jumped outside to get out of the smoke that filled the hall.

"Lord Gyatsō! Five o'clock!" yelled Zuko, who had just landed at his leader's side. Gyatsō activated the first level Shaolin and turned around to glare at a large group of shinobi wearing Hidden Cloud headbands.

The Osore leader used a hand to wipe away some loose strands of hair, remaining silent. Hikari landed behind the two shinobi. He was already performing Supido hand seals.

"Looks like the Hidden Cloud took the initiative," he said while gritting his teeth in anger. Zuko looked at him blankly before smirking widely, which caught the yellow-haired male by surprise.

"That works for me... these guys are all worthless little vermin!" Zuko told him with a wide smirk.

The Taisega clan member slowly lowered his head and hindered his breaths. Some parts of his hair turned white, which immediately prompted Hikari to move away from him a little.

_He's planning on killing them all in cold blood,_ the long-haired Osore member thought.

When Zuko rose his head again, black markings were revealed to have spread over half his face. His right Shaolin eye had also evolved into the Mūgetsu, which was dead set on his enemies. With a nightmarish roar, he charged towards the group of Hidden Cloud ninjas, a minor shock-wave hitting the earth with every step he took. 

"Wheeee!"

Gyatsō widened his eyes as he quickly looked over to Zuko's position. Suddenly, the black-haired male was harshly sent flying back, crashing into the Mizukage's residence with a loud thud. 

Killer Bee was now standing in front of the Hidden Cloud shinobi with his arm extended, insinuating he had used the Lariat to intercept Zuko. His body was coated in a chakra coat, which would indefinitely increase his striking power.

The Raikage then formed his hand into his signature bull horn pose and rose it high into the air, looking over to Gyatsō's entourage.

"You guys ain't surviving this slaughter, in fact, you oughta give up before I blow you out of the water!" he rapped. Multiple shinobi winced at their leader's rapping, but they were all nonetheless relieved he arrived so soon.

The white-haired Osore leader began to walk forward. Bee's rapping caused him to laugh softly, but he lost his smile as soon as the older shinobi walked towards him, too. After a few seconds, they were standing in front of each other. Neither of them flinched.

"I still can't grasp how an unorthodox idiot such as yourself became the Raikage. No matter, however. Your title, along with your village, will be erased from history after I'm done with you," Gyatsō told him with a smirk.

"You better address me with some respect, and get that ego of yours checked," Bee responded.

Gyatsō crossed his arms before taking a few steps back to create distance from them. The chakra coat surrounding Bee intensified into its Version 2 form. The chakra turned into a much darker shade of red and became more defined. Eight tails were also now swinging wildly behind him.

The white-haired male quickly put his arms in front of him as an act of defence. Bee had dashed at him with intense speed, catching everybody off guard. Hikari noted that Gyatsō's Shaolin was in its second level, meaning he intends on taking the fight seriously. 

_Lord __Gyatsō, your entire life's work will be put to the test here._ _It's almost as if there's some sort of defined timer running out. Either the beginning or the end of our project will come when that timer reaches zero._


	46. The Unorthodox Killer Bee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Killer Bee proves himself to be more of a challenge than Gyatsō anticipated.

Gyatsō let out a small grunt as Bee brought his own arms against the Osore leader's body. Bee then directed a heavy knee to Gyatsō's stomach, sending him flying back. The intensity of the Raikage's chakra coat caused most of Gyatsō's cloak to rip upon impact.

The white-haired shinobi landed next to Hikari on one knee. He was clutching the wound that was now present on his abdomen. A few drops of his crimson blood slowly dripped onto the ground.

"Even my Shaolin couldn't pick up that little blow of yours. I almost can't even read your strange movements," Gyatsō said through gritted teeth. Hikari could immediately tell that his superior was only going to get even angrier during this fight. He walked towards the crouching shinobi and gave him a smile.

"You needn't waste chakra by dealing with this weakling, my lord. Raikage or not, nobody can defeat the divine being that you've become," the blonde male told him.

Gyatsō slowly looked over to Hikari, giving the male a twisted smile of his own. He then turned his head to look at Bee, who appeared to be preparing for a second attack.

"With the Raikage dead, I'll be able to erase this shinobi world and replace it with my own. I have no problems with destroying those who get in my way!" the Osore leader yelled out. He then quickly stood up and ran towards Bee, who rushed towards him at the same time.

Chakra bones in the form of bull horns then appeared on Bee's left arm. To Gyatsō's knowledge, this notorious weapon increased the destructive capacity of the Lariat technique. The white-haired male smirked to himself as he let himself get closer to the Raikage, all the while watching closely in case he made another sudden, unpredictable move.

With the two shinobi now inches apart, Bee swung his arm towards Gyatsō's neck in an attempt to catch him in the Lariat. After failing to sense any additional movements from his opponent, the younger male lowered himself to the ground at the brink of impact.

"Attacking me in a linear fashion is utter stupidity," Gyatsō said with a wide smirk. His hair was completely covering his eyes, but Zuko noticed that a faint purple light was emitting from below the bridge of his nose.

"Almighty Push!"

A massive dome of air suddenly blew in all directions, with Gyatsō's body as its epicentre. Bee was immediately sent flying in the air. After a few short moments, the white-haired male appeared above the Raikage. After smirking to himself, he performed quick hand seals.

"Now Water Style: Water Bomb Jutsu."

After kneading a large amount of chakra in his stomach, the Osore leader expelled a massive torrent of water from his mouth, aiming right for Bee. Normally, the skill of his jutsu would require multiple water style users, but naturally, Shaolin enhanced one's chakra manipulation.

The torrent of water crashed into the dark skinned shinobi and sent him crashing to the ground. However, after a few moments, Gyatsō began to lose his smirk. The water torrent was still spiraling against the Raikage's body, but was dissipating by the second.

When the majority of the water eventually disappeared, Gyatsō discovered that Bee's hand was against the tip of the now small torrent. The Jinchuriki's chakra coat had receded, but his hands were still covered in the dark red aura.

_ How did he absorb it? _Gyatsō thought.

He then landed on the ground with a blank facial expression, once again placing a hand on his stomach wound. The group of Hidden Cloud shinobi behind him were still loudly cheering for their leader, confident in the veteran's skills. He knew that they believed the Jinchuriki's skills surpassed his own, and this caused him to chuckle a bit.

Gyatsō then turned to face them and shook his head with sheer disbelief.

"What are you cretins acclaiming for? You're witnessing the death of your Raikage, the death of your village, and most importantly, the death of your wor-"

The white-haired male suddenly gasped and quickly turned to the side to catch Bee's incoming fist. The force of the Raikage's attack sent both of them flying back into the Mizukage's residence on impact, sending bricks and wood flying everywhere.

With Gyatsō forced against the wall, thus unable to move, Bee began to chuckle himself. This angered the Osore leader even more. What could he possibly be confident about?

"Don't think you get the luxury of looking away from me. But before I kill you, lemme tell you something that we agree on," Bee said as he peered into the shinobi's agitated eyes.

"You think you can kill me, you bastard?! I am the messiah, you have absolutely nothing at your disposal to defeat me!" Gyatsō yelled back at him.

"The death of the shinobi world has always been awaited, but yours is the only one that will die, the one with all that hatred. And nothing about you is sacred, all of the crap you're spouting out is outdated, fool, ya fool!"

Gyatsō stared back at him before lowering his head. Bee rose an eyebrow at the man, unsure about what he might say next.

"...I don't expect an idiot to understand, but I'll say this. If by some chance your words hold truth to them, then what of it?" the white-haired shinobi asked the Raikage.

"The hell does that mean?" Bee asked back. Gyatsō slowly rose his head to reveal his second stage Shaolin activated once more.

"Nobody has ever tried to make their ideal world a reality. They just sit and abide by the flawed one we have now, like the weak-minded bugs they are. I won't let anyone, especially a Kage, try to stop my flawless, unblemished project."

Bee blinked a few times before realising that his vision changed. In fact, everything around him suddenly changed. Looking to his side, the Raikage discovered that his arms were covered in dark, bloody chains. When he rose his head, almost disoriented, he also realised that a Shaolin eye was spinning above him.

Several more chains also appeared and spun around the shinobi's body. After a few seconds, they clamped around him, constricting him tightly.

_ Snap out of it, Bee._

A faint voice echoed inside Raikage's head, but he ignored it. The voice then grew louder and louder, eventually ringing in his head. He recognised the voice to be Gyuki.

"Damn... Eight-o, is that you, yo?" Bee asked himself softly. He then quickly rose his head to look up into Gyatsō's eyes, which were now slightly twitching.

_ You were caught in his genjutsu, but don't worry. Like I said earlier, that cheap trick won't work so long as I'm here to help you out, _Bee heard Gyuki say in his mind. The Raikage then smiled a little and nodded his head, thanking his companion softly.

"So, genjutsu really _doesn't_ work on a perfect Jinchuriki. I'll just render you unconscious and kill you then," Gyatsō said with a slight pant. It appeared that the genjutsu he induced Bee in took a toll on his chakra reserves and body. Even though that was the case, he was storing up the strength he had left.

Through the smoke formed by the previous attack, Zuko looked at Bee, who still had his arm tightly pressed against Gyatsō's body. With his Shaolin, he detected a large amount of chakra building within the muscular shinobi. While this raised some questions for him, he didn't intervene. Rather, he activated his Shaolin to its second level, further investigating Bee's chakra.

"Yo! I'm the killer and you're my prey, Gyatsō, your arrogance has led you astray! With your blood and bones these walls will be sprayed, with the killer bomb blowing you Osore bugs away!" Bee rapped loudly.

_ What does he mean by "bomb?"_ Gyatsō thought.

Hikari widened his eyes and suddenly ran towards the two shinobi, fear clouding his mind. While Zuko sensed Bee's chakra quickly growing, Hikari completely understood why it was happening.

"Lord Gyatsō!" Hikari yelled as loud as he could. Gyatsō looked over to his incoming subordinate with a confused facial expression. Zuko quickly followed behind the blonde male, who continued to warn their leader.

"Quickly, master! Get as far away from the Raikage as you can! He's about to launch a Tailed Beast Bomb!"

"Tailed Beast Bomb? Do you expect me to be afraid of a pitiful ninjutsu that I can easily absorb with Gakido?" Gyatsō chuckled out. He then looked back at Bee and widened his eyes with shock.

A small cluster of what appeared to be black and white chakra was gathering in front of Bee's mouth. While that alone was enough to make Gyatsō slightly unnerved, Bee's sudden transformation into his Version 2 state forced the white-haired male to attempt to pry the Raikage off of him.

_ I can't even budge him. Why won't he move?_

As more of the strange chakra quickly gathered in Bee's mouth, Gyatsō looked at his feet to notice that they were sinking in the ground. Concern spread on the man's face as he angrily looked up at the Jinchuriki again. His attempts to pry himself away from Bee failed, forcing him to try even harder.

"Damn you! Just how dense is that chakra bomb of yours?!" he demanded Bee.

The chakra inside Bee's mouth formed into a large sphere and constantly grew at a rapid rate. Zuko's Shaolin easily measured the seemingly limitless amount of chakra being put into it. He concluded that this was Gyuki's own chakra rather than Bee's, considering the stamina a Tailed Beast has.

The large chakra sphere then began to grow smaller inside Bee's mouth. He was consuming the Tailed Beast Bomb to fire it as a beam instead of what it'd be as-is. Because of this, it was now clear to the surrounding Osore members that he was fully intent on killing them all.

When Gyatsō saw a blinding flash of light before his very eyes, he bitterly concluded that he was going to be caught in the Raikage's attack. The Osore leader smiled to himself before slowly closing his eyes.

_It looks like I'll be meeting you guys soon, Hideo... Ichiro..._

After a few moments, he quickly opened them to the sound of a devastating explosion going off far behind him. He then noticed that Hikari was next to him with his hand on the superior's back. Gyatsō blinked a few times before looking over to where the explosion came from.

"What did you just do, Hikari?" he asked the blonde shinobi. Hikari looked at the seal that was now present on Gyatsō's back.

"I used Insutantoshīru to seal your body as to have you teleport with me. I only had a split second left, but I was able to make it to you in time and get us out of the Raikage's blast radius," Hikari replied. He was panting a little as he explained, possibly due to the stress he was just put under.

"Your Supido style is most impressive. Orochimaru developed it just as perfectly as I told him to," Gyatsō told him.

"Thank you, Lord Gyatsō. Also, given the little time I had, I was unable to bring Zuko with us," Hikari added.

"Zuko has been my pupil this entire time for an important reason, Hikari. I just intend on killing that damn Raikage before he does."

Gyatsō then clutched what was left of his cloak before ripping it off his body with a soft grunt. As soon as the torn cloak touched the ground, he was already out of sight. Hikari closely followed him behind.

Zuko winced as he slowly opened his eyes, seeing nothing but darkness. His entire body was covered in solid, dark chakra that was emitting black mists everywhere. His hair had extended and was white, and the wings that were now sticking out of his back were burned severely.

_ It looks like I survived that Tailed Beast Bomb,_ he thought.

The dark chakra cracked in multiple places before shattering completely. Smoke covered the entire area, but his Mūgetsu Shaolin picked up a moving object that was quickly approaching him. He then chuckled lightly to himself.

"You injured me, Raikage... but attacking me as I am now is just a death wish!" the white-haired shinobi yelled out. He then dashed towards the moving figure with great speed.

When he got close enough, Zuko's eyes widened as he was now struck heavily in the back, sending him flying forwards. He turned his head to look at who hit him, as his elbow was still against the Osore member's back.

"Y-you faked me out?!"

Zuko's infuriated eyes stared into Bee's until the younger male crashed against the ground. Bee then jumped high into the air before landing a heavy knee against Zuko's spine. Zuko groaned out in pain before eventually growing limp. The Raikage had struck him in one of his vital points.

"Your eyes, they don't look the same, but to the eyes of Lord Killer Bee, you're an even bigger shame than that unstable lame Gyatsō Mataba," Bee scolded the immobile Osore member. He then turned his head to the side a little bit, sensing himself someone's approach.

"If that's the case, perhaps I gave you the wrong impression, Raikage."

Gyatsō revealed himself and walked towards Bee with his arms crossed. Hikari was walking behind him. The blonde-haired ninja pulled off his own cloak with a gentle smile. A sudden gust of wind blew both their hair to the side, but the cause of this wind was Gyatsō's buildup of chakra.

"I think of myself as the saviour of the world, purging out the wicked one we have at this very moment. I'll ask you to look at me in the same way," the white-haired male said. A wide smirk was present on his face.

"Too late to call yourself a saviour, your own wicked behaviour will be the grave for ya," Bee told him back. Gyatsō let out a little sigh at the Raikage's response. Multiple veins popped out of the Osore leader's neck as he cracked his knuckles.

"To hell with the existence of this world... I've really had enough of _your _existence."

He then appeared in front of the dark skinned male and threw a kick towards his chest. Bee grabbed onto Gyatsō's foot and threw him to the side, but the white-haired shinobi used a single hand to rebound and catapult himself towards the Raikage again with a crazed laugh.

Bee gritted his teeth in annoyance as he used his forearm to block his assailant's furious kicks. He then applied a significant amount of pressure to push Gyatsō away again.

"Don't let up, Lord Raikage! Kill that maniac already!" one of the Hidden Cloud shinobi yelled behind him.

Bee performed a few hand seals before a puff of smoke engulfed the space around him. Gyatsō squinted a little to count seven blades landing between his left armpit, stomach, both elbows, right leg, right side of his neck, and mouth.

When the smoke quickly cleared, Gyatsō couldn't help but chuckle at the Raikage's strange appearance. Even Hikari stared at him with utter confusion. Neither one of them were familiar with Bee's unique Disturbance Taijutsu, a style of taijutsu utilising fast, unpredictable movements.

Gyatsō took out two kunai from his ninja tools pouch and held them in front of his body. After watching Bee closely for a few seconds, his Shaolin began to switch between its first and second stages. The white-haired male's squinted more, trying to ignore it.

_ Even after resting in the Hidden Stone Village, my strength never fully came back to me. I'll have to try and predict his movements with just my level one Shaolin, but..._

Bee then appeared in front of the Osore leader while spinning quickly, turning his very body into a lethal fray of blades. His body was also now engulfed in lightning style chakra, similar to the previous Raikage's lightning armour. The lightning chakra enhanced both the blades and his speed.

Gyatsō winced a little as Bee's swords rapidly slashed against the kunai he were holding. Multiple slash marks periodically appeared on his arms and cheek, meaning that Bee was managing to cut his opponent at the same time.

_ What the hell are these attacks?! _Gyatsō thought angrily. Before Bee could land another slash on him, the white-haired shinobi jumped far back in the air.

Looking below him, he realised that he was now directly above the Hidden Cloud shinobi. Some of them darted up at him in fear. With another wide smirk present on his face, he dropped his kunai and performed multiple hand seals.

"I might as well kill all of you, too!" he said with a cackle. He then gasped and looked in front of him, looking right at Bee's foot.

The Raikage brought his leg against Gyatsō's body before he could finish his jutsu. On impact,he was sent flying farther back, sparing the group of any danger.

When Gyatsō landed against the ground, he quickly looked up to eye Bee's incoming barrage of swords again. Going on the defencive, he held his arms out in front of him. Dark chakra immediately engulfed them and then his body, acting as armour.

Bee scoffed to himself as he spun around faster, making all of his swords slash against Gyatsō's chakra armour faster. When the Raikage noticed that they were dealing little damage, the electricity surrounding his body intensified rapidly. His body caved in the ground with a loud bolt of lightning, sending the two shinobi falling deeper into the earth.

Gyatsō smirked again as he manipulated his solidified dark chakra into a blade of his own. He kicked the Raikage off of him and dashed towards him with hopes of slicing him in the chest.

Bee's lightning armour, however, electrocuted the white-haired shinobi when he got closer. With a faint grunt, Gyatsō continued to fall down until he landed on a heated piece of earth. Bee looked up to notice how far they had fallen. Even he could feel the magma that was boiling some distance below them.

"Light Style: Heaven's Carnage!"

Bee quickly looked down at Gyatsō, who was smirking up at him. His hands were slapped against each other, indicating he had just performed a jutsu.

A massive, sudden white beam appeared from the sky and engulfed Bee, forcing him to crash through the platform they were on. Gyatsō laughed a little as he slowly stood up, jumping down to land next to the Raikage, who was laying against the ground.

"You should heed your own words. You don't get to look away from me," Gyatsō told him. He then pointed up to the sky and slowly waved his finger.

"My Light Style is a variant of Yang Style, where one must use their physical energy to create chakra. Rather than creating life with Yang Style, I breathe light into creation with my chakra," the white-haired shinobi explained. A faint light appeared on the tip of his finger but quickly went out.

"I'm completely certain you can't move right now. That is the effect of the Mataba clan's Light Style, after all."

He then picked up one of Bee's swords and channeled some of his chakra into it. He wanted to make sure that just one strike would be enough to kill the Jinchuriki, so increasing the weapon's destructive capacity was the way to get the job done.

With his smirk still present on his face, the Osore leader lowered the blade until it was above Bee's chest.

"Let this be a message to you, Killer Bee. I, Gyatsō Mataba, never lose."

He then shoved the blade deep into the Raikage's chest. After a few seconds, Bee's body converted into a sharp pool of lightning and electrocuted the white-haired male.

Gyatsō's eyes grew bloodshot as he fell to his knees, panting.

_ What?!_

"And let _this _be a lesson that you never count me out, fool, ya fool!" a voice came besides him.

A reappeared Bee then harshly brought his arm against Gyatsō's neck, successfully hitting him with a Lariat. Bee's body was still covered in lightning style chakra, which drastically increased the potency of the hard strike.

Gyatsō coughed out a substantial amount of blood as he was sent flying upwards at a fast speed. He crashed through multiple layers of earth before landing some distance away from Hikari.

The blonde shinobi's eyes widened as he looked over to his badly injured superior. A pool of blood had already formed under Gyatsō's body, prompting Hikari to quickly run towards him.

Suddenly, Hikari's eyes darted to the side to notice that Bee was now charging towards him. When Hikari used Supido to teleport to Gyatsō instead, the perfect Jinchuriki was already there with him.

A line of blood slowly ran down Hikari's lip. He slowly looked down to see multiple blades jabbed into his stomach. Bee smiled a little when the blonde male stepped back a little to force the blades out of him. He then pointed straight at the Osore member's face.

"Gyatsō Mataba's out of ya reach. Now I'm gonna beat the blood out of this leech."


	47. Undying Loyalty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the first time since he could remember, Gyatsō Mataba is bested in battle, now slowly dying in a pool of his own blood at the Raikage's hand. Hikari rushes to aid his leader, but Killer Bee sets his sights on the Osore member, preventing him from rescuing Gyatsō. With Zuko also incapacitated, it's up to Hikari alone to defeat the Raikage.

"You'll regret ever challenging Lord Gyatsō, I can assure you that."

Hikari's piercing blue eyes were staring into the Raikage's dark shades. The younger shinobi was able to see his own reflection in the small lenses. Bee slowly extended his pinky to form his signature bullhorns gesture once more. Rather than the taunt itself, Hikari's now concerned expression was due to the fact that red chakra was bubbling from the Raikage's fingertips.

"As much as I hate to admit it, you certainly are a remarkable one. Even after unleashing a Tailed Beast Bomb, being struck by the Light Style, and defeating Zuko, you still have enough stamina to come at me at full strength," Hikari told him. By now, a chakra coat had engulfed Bee's body like a fire. Although Hikari couldn't tell, the Raikage was actually meditating where he stood. Gyuki was supplying his companion with his own chakra as the two of them conversed within the Jinchuriki's consciousness.

"Yo, Eight-o. I'm not here for any aggression. If you couldn't tell from my expression, I'm sorry for this sudden session. But I got an important question," Bee told the Tailed Beast. Gyuki sighed a little as he directed his attention to the rapping shinobi.

"You could be killed at any moment, and yet, your attitude _still_ doesn't change... what is it, Bee?"

"Okaaay! Those other two guys have those crazy Shaolin eyes, but now that I'm trying this blonde one on for size, I'm starting to realise-"

"Damnit, Bee! Please just cut the terrible rapping!" Gyuki yelled. His pleas were accompanied with another long and annoyed sigh. Bee readjusted his shades and pouted at the Tailed Beast.

"Why are you so damn moody today, man?" the dark skinned shinobi asked.

"Bee, if you die, I'll die with you. The _last_ thing I'd want to have in my head is sitting here and listening to that horrible rapping of yours. Take this seriously."

Bee crossed his arms in defiance, but he knew that Gyuki was right. If Gyatsō and Zuko were to heal before he could kill Hikari, it'd be significantly more difficult to keep the village unscathed. He'd have to fully transform into his Tailed Beast State, and even then, given the Osore's strength, victory _still _wouldn't be guaranteed. The Raikage pondered hard on what course of action to take. He looked back at Gyuki.

"I just don't have any idea on what this guy can do yet," he said, frustrated. Gyuki remained silent for a few moments before eventually looking down at his host.

"Do you remember when you shot that pointblank Tailed Beast Bomb at Gyatsō? This Hikari guy was the reason the both of them escaped. With that kind of speed, I'd say his attacks probably revolve around space-time ninjutsu," he said. Bee's face lit up like a Christmas tree when he heard that.

"Oh, so that's the case! Know what? That reminds me of our fight against the Fourth Hokage so long ago," Bee said while chuckling a bit. With this information, he was itching to go against Hikari now. Gyuki immediately noticed the intensity in his host's chakra and caught himself to be laughing, too. Neither one of them forgot what it was like to do battle with that tenacious Minato.

"Hikari isn't anything you haven't fought before. But still,just be cautious. Anyone handpicked by Gyatsō himself has to be a highly exceptional shinobi," Gyuki warned. Bee smirked at the large beast's words.

"I almost decapitated Gyatsō with that Lariat. His lackeys don't got nothing on me."

"...How long do you plan on just standing there?" Hikari asked. Bee slowly opened his eyes to study his opponent thoroughly. He then looked over to a large rock that was in the distance.

_The chakra Eight-o gave me is more than enough to boost my speed. Now, let's add this..._

A single bolt of electricity emitted from the Raikage's body. With just a few focused breaths, it quickly transformed into a thunderous eruption, in which powerful currents of electricity were sent in all directions.

Hikari slightly flinched as he took a step back, the sudden burst of energy causing his hair to sway furiously. The blonde male watched the Raikage's movements closely.

"You don lighting armour on top of that chakra coat. I'm flattered that you find this necessary against me, but it will avail you nothing!" the Osore member yelled. For a moment, he watched Bee crack a few muscles in his neck. Then, suddenly, the Raikage was out of sight.

A devastating thunderbolt struck the boulder Bee looked over to just prior. An endless stream of electricity passed through the flying pieces of rock, making the area appear as if the worst thunderstorm was taking place. In actuality, it was Bee, who was now crashing onto the ground.

_What kind of teleportation was that?! _

Hikari stood over Bee with his arms crossed, his face void of worry. The entirety of his cloak was now torn into lifeless shreds on the ground, and both of his forearms were now bleeding. Regardless of the damage he sustained, he still saw the Raikage as the inferior shinobi. He saw him as a child needing to be disciplined thoroughly, even though Bee was far older than him. The longer he stared at the older man, the angrier his face would grow.

"I assumed you'd blitz me with your increase of speed and power, but you ended up trying to create distance between us instead? What could you have possibly accomplished by doing that?" Hikari scoffed. A clear tone of disgust was mixed with his words, feeling it was justified to insult the Kage's thinking process.

Bee gritted his teeth as he quickly stood up. His heart was racing with adrenaline, but it was pure shock that held onto his wrinkled face. Minato Namikaze's proficiency and speed with his Flying Thunder God technique was extremely difficult to even think about countering, but Hikari's space-time ninjutsu appeared to be even faster.

"Even though I wounded myself striking you through that lightning armour, I proved that you still aren't faster than me. There's nothing you can do," Hikari continued, a conceited grin now spreading on his lips. He then performed a hand seal and walked towards the Raikage without a care in the world. To him, this battle was already over.

"Perhaps you'll transform again? Or maybe you'll add another layer for that armour of yours? No matter what you do, I'll _always _react faster than you," Hikari added. Bee chuckled at the arrogant comments being thrown at him by the younger shinobi. Hikari may have been faster, but there was an even bigger specific gap between them.

Experience.

"If you think you can beat me, why don't you just stop talking and do it? Aren't you worried that Mataba's gonna bleed out?" Bee mocked. Hikari gritted his teeth in anger at the disrespectful remark and performed his hand seals at a faster rate.

"_Stop talking?_ That's hilarious, coming from you. And don't worry, I'll grant you the death you so desire."

"Don't do it! That's not the Raikage's real body!" a familiar voice yelled in the distance. Hikari quickly turned around to look into Zuko's bloodshot eyes. The dark-haired male was still on the ground, but Hikari could tell that he was still unable to move.

"Are you saying he's some sort of clone? I've been watching him this entire time, there was no opportunity for him to substitute one in for himself," Hikari told his comrade back.

"Just listen to me!!" Zuko yelled at the top of his lungs. In his mind, Hikari's evolving arrogance could prove detrimental to Gyatsō. If he wasn't paralysed, he was sure he would've attacked his friend. The pain that was attacking his every muscle prevented him from saying another word. With the little energy he had left, he activated the first level of his Shaolin and looked into Hikari's eyes.

"Just be quiet, Zuko. The Raikage defeated you while you were in your Curse Mark, you have no right giving me advice," Hikari mumbled to himself. He then turned around to focus his attention on his opponent once more. Bee smirked a little as he motioned for the male to come over.

"Well?"

That set the Osore member off. He teleported behind the Raikage within a second. The dark skinned shinobi suddenly fell to his knees before his limp head slammed against the ground. One of Hikari's needles was sticking out of his neck.

"I'll let Lord Gyatsō kill you once he's healed," the blonde man said to himself. After carefully watching Bee's unmoving body for a while, he turned his head to look over to Zuko. He then began to walk towards him.

"Your Shaolin is compatible with Lord Gyatsō's, since his eyes were originally yours. With your level two Shaolin's healing ability, replacing his weakened eyes with yours should heal him."

Hikari kneeled over Zuko and grabbed his arm, placing it over the back of his neck. He helped his friend up with relative ease, considering Zuko was unable to move anyway. In another instant, they were in front of the injured Gyatsō.

"Don't worry, my lord. The Raikage is unconscious now. After you've regained your full visual prowess, you can do whatever you want to him," Hikari told his superior.

Zuko let out a pained grunt as Hikari quickly reached into his eye sockets to remove both of his eyes. He did the same to Gyatsō, then carefully implanted Zuko's eyes. After a few seconds, he watched Gyatsō slowly roll his eyes into place.

_ All of our dreams are going to come true on this day, _Hikari thought. _T__he Hidden Dark __Nation has been utterly unstoppable with you as its leader._

The numerous cuts on Gyatsō's body began to close slowly. Visible green mists hovered over the wound that was on his neck. In a few moments, it also began to heal. Hikari let out a quick sigh of relief upon seeing that his plan worked.

"...You will... be rewarded greatly... for your actions, Hikari," Gyatsō quietly told him.

"My undying loyalty for you and your mission to better our shinobi world will never falter," Hikari replied.

_What is... this feeling?_

The blonde male gritted his teeth as he looked down to his hand. After a few moments, he realised that he was beginning to lose the ability to move it as time passed on.

"Is there something wrong, Hikari?" Gyatsō asked him, now standing up. Hikari's eyes darted from his immobile hand to his legs, which he also greatly struggled to move.

"I don't... something's wrong with my body," he replied. After failing to hear a response from Gyatsō nor Zuko, he looked up in confusion.

"Lord Gyatsō?"

Instead of seeing his superior and friend, Hikari was staring at dark chakra tightly enclosed around his body. Before he could realise what was happening, he felt a massive amount of force slam against him. As his shielded body flew back with intense speed, he heard another explosion not far away.

When his body smashed against the ground, the solidified chakra around him cracked and shattered like glass. Now that he was able to see, he peered up to notice that another mass of red chakra was approaching him.

After performing a single hand seal, Hikari was now next to Zuko. Half of the boy's hair was now white. Hikari's hand was touching a mark on Zuko's neck, indicating he used Supido to teleport as he did before with Gyatsō. A large sphere of Zuko's dark chakra surrounded them.

"Hikari! Why didn't you listen to me?!" Zuko demanded. He was still laying on the ground, but his shaky arm was extending away from his body. The dark chakra surrounding them was connected to the middle of his palm.

"What the hell is happening? I thought I defeated the Raikage! I used your eyes to heal Lord G-"

"That was all just an illusion! When you refused to listen to me, I put you under genjutsu so I could protect you and Lord Gyatsō!" Zuko replied.

When Hikari opened his mouth to respond, another explosion went off against the protective chakra barrier around the two shinobi.

"I still don't know why you intervened like this," Hikari told him.

"If you were in control of your body, you would've ignored my warning that the real Raikage entered Tailed Beast State and was launching a counterattack on us. I forced you into genjutsu to protect you as fast as possible."

"...I forgot that the Shaolin could distinguish between different chakra natures," Hikari admitted. Now he felt foolish for both brushing aside crucial information and insulting his friend.

"Your arrogance almost got you killed, Hikari. But I'm of no use to you like this, not without my full Shao-"

A more powerful explosion engulfed the barrier and pushed the sphere a few yards back. Zuko noticed that the top of his barrier was now cracked. It wouldn't make it through another direct Tailed Beast Bomb.

"Quick! Take me to Lord Gyatsō, he's just ahead," Zuko said. The Taisega clan member was already reaching into one of his eyes.

"But I'll die if I get hit by one of his attacks," Hikari responded. Zuko winced as he pulled the soft organ from its socket and looked up at him, panting lightly.

"Can't you just use that Insutantoshīru jutsu to teleport to him?" he asked. Hikari shook his head.

"No, I can't. The Insutantoshīru can only be used on a person once per seal. I already used my seal on him earlier," the blonde shinobi replied.

"Then you're just going to have to use your regular space-time ninjutsu. Leave me here, the Raikage should target you so long as you approach Lord Gyatsō," said Zuko. He then quickly pulled out his remaining eye and handed both of them to his comrade.

Hikari wrapped a piece of his torn cloak around the eyes and placed them inside his pouch. Now that he was looking at his damaged arms, he noticed how much blood he lost by now.

_Shit,_ _my body's getting numb_. _I should've placed a seal on the __Raikage__. Now I'll have to first get him to shoot at me to get an idea on his general location._

He knew that he would be risking death by doing so, but after everything that happened up until to this point, including seeing comrades like Konan die in front of him, what exactly _was _stressful to him?

After turning his back to the weakened Zuko, Hikari jumped forwards. He broke through the dark chakra barrier and dashed towards another barrier that was some distance ahead.

Almost immediately after revealing himself, another Tailed Beast Bomb was sent his way from his right. As Hikari performed the tiger hand sign, he noticed that Zuko was replacing his damaged barrier with denser chakra.

_This will probably be the only attack you'll have to tank for me. __Sorry, __Zuko__._

Just before Bee's attack reached Hikari, the blonde Osore member disappeared from sight before reappearing farther away from the blast. Still sprinting, he clutched unto his right arm while groaning in pain. Even though he successfully evaded the Tailed Beast Bomb, he was still too close to it. Parts of his right arm, stomach, and leg were burned significantly.

_So, he's shooting these somewhere on my right. At least the Body Flicker isn't useless right now._

He then turned his head to look at the state of Zuko's new barrier. Through the large amount of smoke generated by the blast, he could see that it was damaged, but still intact. With a weak smile forming on his lips, he performed a few more hand signs. The pain in his right arm almost forced him to discontinue, but he managed to slap his palms together.

_Supido__: __Unubore!_

After a few moments, a faint blue aura emitted from the male's body. Now he was even closer to Gyatsō. With his smile widening, he reached a hand out towards the barrier.

"Lord Gyatsō!" he yelled out.

Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of him. Hikari reacted quickly by jumping backwards, but he didn't have enough strength to follow up with a defencive measure, nor a counterattack. He felt a heavy knee crash into his chest that sent him flying further away from Gyatsō.

When he landed on the ground, he immediately looked up to see his reflection in Bee's shades once more.


	48. Turning a New Leaf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back in the Hidden Leaf, all imprisoned shinobi are brought to a large room to prepare for their transition into becoming soldiers of the Hidden Dark Nation.

Weary mauve eyes averted to the numerous metallic bars that were now being pulled out of place. The sudden and rather vexatious noise of metal clanging against the wall snapped Akazo out of his delirious state. He barely turned his head to look at the several figures that were standing in front of his designated cell.

"Get in there, you piece of shit!" he heard a disgruntled voice murmur. Interest piqued, the shinobi turned the rest of his body to get a better view of the unannounced commotion. Granted, the injuries he sustained caused some difficulties that hindered any movement at all, but he somehow still managed to accomplish this task.

The same prison guards from earlier were holding onto Ketsueki, who somehow looked to be in even worse shape from the last time Akazo saw him. The ANBU member noticed a fresh stab wound in the redhead's stomach and concluded his encounter with Seiko didn't end all too well for him. Ketsueki couldn't even stand on his own two feet; his unmoving legs were bent at a peculiar angle against the floor, and the prison guards had to carry him if they wanted to successfully move him anywhere.

Obviously, the swordsman wasn't able to comply with the orders projected at him, and pretty much anyone could see why. It took a few moments for the guard with the Hidden Sound headband to realise his error, and instead told his companions to release Ketsueki from their clutches.

Before the injured man could collapse to the floor, the guard extended his leg and forced it against his back. With just the "tiniest" bit of force, he pushed Ketsueki into the cell. In actuality, the redhead was sent crashing against the wall in the back of the freezing, badly lit room.

Snickers and giggles of satisfaction came from the small group of guards outside of the cell. Akazo compared them to the sounds children would make on a playground and paid them no further attention. His earlier attempt at defending his ally through thick and thin was admirable, but he wouldn't make that mistake again. Especially not after the message Ketsueki imparted.

Nobody could win one against a million.

Too caught up in these downhearted thoughts of his, Akazo suddenly jerked upwards when he felt a shivering hand grab onto his left shoulder. The sharp pain that was ensured from this sudden movement reverberated throughout his entire body.

"Sorry I startled you," he heard Sasuke's voice say behind him. Akazo wanted to tell him that it was okay, but the continuous waves of pain coursing through his muscles responded for him, forcing a long grunt through his grinding teeth. As a result, Sasuke quickly removed his intrusive hand.

"All of you inside, stand up and come out here," another voice demanded from outside the cell. Kurenai, as cautious as ever, looked over to the guard and studied him. He was the tallest of the snickering mob, and to her, looked the most testy.

She noticed that this guard's face appeared particularly rigid, almost as if he was permanently annoyed or bothered by something. One of his eyes was covered by multiple bandages behind a cloth patch. A few blotches of dried blood rested near the top of the otherwise clean fabric. Kurenai caught herself to be intently staring into the shinobi's bronze pupil.

"What for?" the kunoichi finally challenged, her own crimson hues dead set on the man. Ebisu was the only prisoner who stood when ordered to do so, staying true to his own obedient nature. Akazo looked away from the fuss and decided he'd remain unconcerned if the situation wouldn't escalate.

The one-eyed guard recoiled at Kurenai's question and approached the lot of them with that irked expression of his. Akazo's developing way of thinking caused him to let out a sigh at the older woman. He knew this was _not _the place to exhibit any form of resistance, considering the smell of blood from fallen Hidden Leaf shinobi was still looming in the very air they were breathing.

"What the hell makes you think you have a choice in the matter? You don't get the right to talk back to me," the guard shot back at her. Kurenai stared at him in complete silence as he took a few emphatic steps forward. The woman lightly flinched at every clack his boots made against the steel surface.

"I'll remember you for later. What's your name, woman?" he asked.

"Kurenai."

"You're going to have a very hard time here, Kurenai. Now like I said, get up and come out here. All of you."

Given both the hopeless situation she was put in and the consequences that were sure to be enacted upon her if she remained hesitant, the kunoichi finally stood up and walked towards the entrance of the cell. A female guard with dark blue hair covering her left eye forcibly pulled Kurenai's arms behind her back and threw a pair of handcuffs around the woman's small wrists.

Sasuke tiredly glared at the small group before looking back at Akazo, who seemed exhausted as well. With preparation this time, the Uchiha clan member placed an arm around his partner's stomach and helped him up. Akazo let out a soft grunt as he hung an arm around Sasuke's neck. The two of them then walked out of the cramped chamber.

Hardly moving his body against the wall, Ketsueki used a jittery hand to part the hair in his eyes. He then looked up to scowl at a masked guard reaching for his hair. Even though he couldn't even hope of moving his legs, he was still dragged out of the cell and handcuffed.

Upon looking at the guard dragging him, the redhead noticed that the pattern of the mask, a beak along with several yellow stripes, resembled what a Hidden Leaf ANBU would don on missions. Ketsueki decided to ignore this small detail and instead focus on the pain of having his hair strongly tugged on.

"I c-can understand why I'm being treated this way, but is it p-possible for you to accommodate to my injuries?" he asked politely. The masked man chuckled faintly as his grip around Ketsueki's locks tightened.

While the guards were less forceful with Sasuke, who complied without any hesitance, the wounded Akazo struggled to turn around to be handcuffed and found himself to be pushed and pulled until the frigid metal shackles were tightly bound around his wrists. 

For the first time since being brought to the prison, Akazo could see how depressing the atmosphere truly was. At least outside of the narrow cell. He was brought here when he was unconscious and had hoped that perhaps the smallest spot of light from outside would make its way through a hole in the walls or ceiling. 

Unfortunately, there was no light from outside.

No hope.

No rescue_. _

Rather than any of those, the only thing he could see ahead were other guards pulling more imprisoned Hidden Leaf shinobi out of their cells.

Nearly five minutes of quietness passed as the last of the captives were handcuffed and lined up. Akazo was surprised that not a single one of them tried to fight back. Even though they certainly would have been killed, the mere thought that his comrades would fight a battle seemingly impossible to win could've helped him cope with these horrible circumstances.

Various images then crept their way into the young man's mind - from his graduation at the Ninja Academy, to his first mission in the ANBU, to his battle with Kimimaro just a few days ago. These oddly reminiscent memories continued to drown out any other thought that was produced at the same time.

He then saw Gyatsō's face, that devilish smile of his widely stretched across his lips.

Immediately after, the dark-haired male screamed and thrashed about, knocking himself into other prisoners. The guard closest to him slammed him against the rigorous wall and caused a loud ring to echo throughout the dark corridor. 

_This is all my fault._

Akazo stared blankly at the floor, not even bothering to react to the immense discomfort his body was just put under. This was because he half expected his Hidden Sound overseers to execute him then and there, but as time slowly passed, that seemed less likely.

_I could have prevented all of this._

"You better keep yourself in check, kid. Do that again and I'll happily put you out of your misery," the bulky guard growled into his ear. The only indication that the man let go of his tight hold didn't come through the actual feeling, but from the mere sight of it. And even then, Akazo could barely make _that _out, what with the scarce amount of lighting in the corridor of despair.

Sasuke turned his head to look at his silent, immobile companion. If they were just "normal" criminals at a "normal" prison ran by the Hidden Leaf, there wouldn't be too many severe repercussions thrown at him if he were to just walk up to that guard and beat him down. Maybe just an extended sentence, and at most, solitary confinement.

But it was entirely different now. 

He fully understood that if he so much as took a single step in defiance, he'd have a very hard fight at his hands. Even with the new abilities of his Mangekyou Sharingan, it'd be a great struggle to just escape the prison alive. Not to mention the amount of enemies that were residing in the village by now.

Forced to turn a blind eye to his wounded friend, Sasuke redirected his attention to the hoarse masculine voice that was booming at the front of the line. With his Sharingan, he was able to make out who was talking. The man was pretty small in stature, so it was already hard enough for anyone not at the front to hear him clearly. He compensated for this drawback with a makeshift megaphone, which was actually just a few bars of metal banded together.

"Listen up, you Hidden Leaf _dogs_," the man yelled. Many of the exasperated prisoners cowered at the insult. For others, the rather boisterous remark struck them out of their sapped trances.

"My name is Ryotaro Yamane, and I'm the new warden of this shit hole. Effective immediately, not a single one of you will be seen as a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. Instead, you're now members of the ever-growing Hidden Dark Nation! Congratulations!"

Akazo's eyes slightly widened as he heard those words, as if they immediately jump-started his sense of being back to life. He slowly walked closer to that dreaded voice until he bumped into Sasuke, who had an uneasy expression himself.

"They're not just going to kill all of us at once?" Akazo asked him nonchalantly. Sasuke hesitantly shook his head before looking back at Ryotaro. The short blonde was now cackling to himself. He was apparently thrilled to see so many people engrossed in uncertainty for their collective futures.

After a few more seconds of wheezing, the light-haired ninja aggressively pounded his fist against his chest and coughed out loudly. He then wiped away the slight wetness that formed in the corners of his eyes.

"But don't relax yet, my friends! As per Lord Gyatsō Mataba's requests, you're going to be molded into proper soldiers of our great nation," he continued. He evaluated the still faces of the shinobi and sighed out loudly. From the looks of it, none of them were up to speed yet.

"We've decided to borrow some old Hidden Mist combat tactics used to develop their younger shinobi. You see, their children had to once kill each other in order to become a genin. Now we'll use the same system to pick out the most capable of you. I'd say only about half of you will be alive by this day's end."

With that affirmation, panic raced through the large group of prisoners. Luckily, none of them were careless enough to attack any of the guards, nor each other. Not a single person forgot the despondent conditions they knew they had to live by. Ryotaro hid a nefarious smirk behind his metal amplifier at this realisation.

The prisoners even shut themselves up soon enough. In less than twenty seconds, the only sound waves to dare enter the corridor was the noise of the heavy wind outside. The warden began to clap feverishly.

"Good dogs, good dogs! Now you'll be taken to a room where your battles will take place. I'll explain the regulations of our little game when everyone is accounted for. Now get a move on!"

Akazo gasped lightly as the chains attached to his handcuffs were suddenly tugged forward. He instinctively balanced his weight to prevent himself from falling and looked ahead to eye a guard glaring back at him sternly.

_ Damn, we don't have to be handled like this. Are we seriously going to off each other instead? _

The ANBU member turned his head away from the guard and silently followed behind him.

After a while, Akazo began to lose concentration again. When his bare feet suddenly pressed against a freezing iron surface, he blinked and quickly lifted his head.

"How long have we been walking?" he asked himself softly. A youthful woman with short pink hair and heavy bags under her eyes turned her head to him, even though he wasn't asking anyone in particular. Akazo stared at the purple rhombus mark that was on the pinkette's forehead.

_I could've sworn I saw that seal before, _he thought.

"About ten minutes," the woman whispered.

The large room they've been brought to had more lights along the rusted brown ceiling, but it felt nearly twice as cold as their cells. Akazo's now brittle arms crossed over his chest as he looked around randomly. With treadmills and a variety of weights lying in a corner, he figured that this used to be a workout room for previous convicts.

Convicts. _Convicts. _Something they've apparently been branded as by Gyatsō and his followers. Before Akazo could even begin to get enraged at the very thought, Ryotaro began to yell at them again.

"I hope that little walk of ours brought some energy into you people!" the warden bellowed at the front of the line. Akazo took a few careful steps to the side in order to actually see the blonde man. After getting a good look for about ten seconds, he stepped back in line with a light smirk spreading on his lips. He'd already taken note of those long spiky bangs that grew to just above the bridge of his nose, and those dull, faintly green eyes. He even kept the image of Ryotaro's two chins locked deep within his memory.

_If we do start to fight back,_ _I'll make sure this fat piece of shit dies first, _he thought.

"Let's get into business. At random, two of you will be brought to the middle of this room, where you'll fight to the death. If neither one of you are dead by five minutes, then tough shit, you'll both be executed! If you refuse to fight, that's fine, you'll be taken back to your cell... just kidding, you're dead, too!" Ryotaro told them excitedly.

The warden pushed his bangs to the side as he once again beamed at the silent guinea pigs assembled before him. He then hurriedly scratched at his aftershave with his sausage fingers before pointing to a large monitor near the back of the vast room. Sasuke quickly noticed that his mugshot, which was taken when he awoke, was appearing on the monitor at random.

After meticulously looking at the faces around him, he realised that each prisoner had their own pictures showing on the screen intermittently. Sasuke had to restrain himself from chuckling at the nigh stupidity of the event. He found these rules to greatly resemble those of the Leaf's Chunin Exams, which he suspected Gyatsō actually based this off of.

"Unless you're a total dumbass, you'll know when you're up. But if any of you are eager to fight now, let our first two volunteers walk up to our grand stage!" Ryotaro chimed.

Utter silence. None of the prisoners even moved a muscle. Some of them just closed their eyes and prayed that this was some sort of terrible dream. When they woke up, maybe they'd find out their village wasn't taken over by some madman. Perhaps the madman didn't even exist!

Ketsueki gritted his teeth as he slowly looked around and inspected each of the various people standing around him. Which one of them would he have to kill in order to survive himself? If he had to square off against Sasuke, which by itself would literally be by some chance, he'd feel like he'd be betraying Itachi. What if Gyatsō had him reanimated if the two of them ever met again? What would he say, that he murdered his little brother because he had to?

Ryotaro waited a couple of seconds before looking over to the prison guards instead. The few of them that were barely paying attention to this point immediately grew stiff and held their breaths as they awaited the same question.

It came, eventually, only after the hefty administrator coughed out a fragment of the chicken bone that was apparently stuck in his throat the entire time.

"Since they're not so enthusiastic, why don't one of you pick our first two participants?" he asked them. Akazo immediately took a few uneasy steps back as to use his own Hidden Leaf brethren to shield himself from the looming gazes of the Hidden Sound and Dark guards. He couldn't care less how cowardly the act seemed, survival was obviously first and foremost.

Shortly after, the one-eyed guard from earlier walked forward and nodded at the grinning Ryotaro.

"I'll pick them," he said lowly.

"Ah, Tsurugi! Pick anyone you want. At the very least, make it... entertaining."

The towering man strode around the crowd in fixated silence, similar to a starving predator picking out the tastiest of his downed options. With every slow step he took, the prisoner unlucky enough to be closest to him would blanch with uneasiness. An intimidating smile exposed Tsurugi's unsightly light brown teeth when he suddenly stopped walking, having already picked the first meal to be dined on.

Kurenai avoided looking Tsurugi in the eye. In fact, she didn't even appear to notice he stopped directly in front of her. She tried desperately to keep her breathing calm, but she feared her vociferous heartbeats would rat her out through the stillness of the room.

But she knew.

A small line of sweat began to appear on the crimson eyed woman's forehead and slowly made its way down her paling face.

_Maybe it's the person next to you, Kurenai. Calm down. Pace your breathing... Calm down..._

"Your name was Kurenai, right?" she heard his gruff voice ask. Seeing as there was almost no point in feigning how unaware she was of her plight, the mother quickly looked up into that rust coloured eye and nodded her head.

"Nothing to say back this time, hm? Oh well. Go to the middle of the room," he ordered. Kurenai lowered her head as she slowly made her way to the place that was almost guaranteed to be her deathbed. She then hesitantly looked up to see if her opponent has been chosen yet.

Tsurugi was still making his way around the prisoners, quietly walking along the multiple lines of terrified men and women. He abruptly smiled once again upon coming across one of the few combatants that didn't look away from him. Rather, the intense pair of Sharingan staring him down appeared to command the guard to pick its wielder.

"And who are you supposed to be?" Tsurugi asked him softly.

Sasuke looked over to the silent woman staring back at him blankly. With the slowly diminishing focus in her eyes, he could tell that she was coming to terms with whatever was about to happen to her. Kurenai could only wish to have died during the siege of their village, to be spared such a dishonourable death: making herself look like a coward in front of her peers.

_ The Hidden Sound and Dark are definitely aware of __Ketsueki's__ interference in __Gyatsō's__ plans, but how don't they know about Akazo and I? Just what did he do to be sought out specifically? _Sasuke wondered.

"What, you're the quiet type, too? I saw that you and Kurenai were withheld in the same cell. Do you know her?" Tsurugi asked him. Sasuke wordlessly examined the black-haired woman for a few more seconds before looking back at the taller guard, who didn't seem the least bit intimidated by his Sharingan.

"I do know her, somewhat. She was the sensei of a few of my peers, but that's all," he replied.

"Come on, don't lie to me. Tell me she's worth more than that to you," Tsurugi insisted. "Isn't she?"

"No. She is _nothing _important to me."

With Sasuke's added emphasis and the new look of annoyance present on his face, Tsurugi realised that the usually unemotional shinobi was becoming irritated at him. This would, however, only be used to direct his own contempt of Kurenai through Sasuke. Just to potentially provoke him even more, the guard placed a firm hand on Sasuke's shoulder and continued egging him on.

"If she's really worth that little to you," Tsurugi whispered into his ear, "then just go up there and wipe her out." Sasuke scantily turned his head to the side so that their unwavering eyes could meet.

"I was hoping you'd be smart enough to understand that I was waiting for the word," he replied gently. Even though Tsurugi laughed at the remark, he was trying badly not to order Sasuke's own execution for the blatant disrespect spat in his face. A noticeable vein began to appear on the side of his forehead.

"You most certainly can, my little friend."

"Thank you."

Sasuke's trip to the centre of the tundra of a room was a lot quicker than Kurenai's. When he was about thirty feet away from her, he stopped walking and looked over to Tsurugi for confirmation. The guard rose a thumb and motioned over to the shivering woman standing next to the monitor in the back.

After typing away on the small keyboard held on her right arm, a five minute timer appeared on the bottom of the screen. When the time reached four minutes and fifty seconds, Sasuke took a few steps towards Kurenai.

"You know, you do look a lot like Itachi. I only saw him once, though," the woman told him, nervously rubbing at her arm. Sasuke squinted a bit at the mention of his big brother and walked faster, clearly interested in her words now. He recalled that way back when he and the rest of Team 7 were still genin, he asked Kakashi what abilities Itachi possessed. Kakashi eventually succumbed to the constant questioning and told him when he, Kurenai, Asuma, and Guy battled his brother.

"It was when he and Kisame Hoshigaki infiltrated the village long ago. When I went against your brother, his genjutsu made mine look pathetic... he even turned my own genjutsu against me in the blink of an eye," Kurenai continued.

Sasuke still remained silent, other than the sound of the electricity now emitting from his hand. He was so close to her that he could smell the faint scent of her cherry perfume. Due to their difference in height, Kurenai had to lift her head more to look into his radiant Sharingan.

"If Gyatsō had to choose between me and you to fight for him, he'd obviously pick the one with that unforgettable Sharingan," she whispered. Sasuke slowly moved his hand so that it was pointing vertically towards her chest. He looked down at her and whispered back, not wanting Ryotaro or anyone else to hear.

"That's how I'm viewing this. Whenever we revolt, I'll be more useful to the village. You don't have to worry about anything. We _will_ stop Gyatsō."

Seemingly for the first time since any of this madness began, Kurenai gave a genuine smile, albeit faint. She thought that the best she could do was make it so that their battle wouldn't be "entertaining," as Ryotaro described. To die rebelling in this matter gave her more closure, at least. The very last thought to cross her mind was if her poor daughter Mirai survived the attack on the village. She quickly shot her eyes back open to ask, but it was far too late.

The timer didn't even reach four minutes and twenty seconds when the kunoichi's lifeless body fell to the floor, crimson blood quickly escaping the open wound in the middle of her chest. Sasuke slowly wiped the dark red liquid that painted his entire hand on his pants before averting his gaze to a livid Ryotaro.

The warden spewed out every insult and swear he could think of, which provided quite the entertainment for the prisoners.

"You think you're so goddamn smart, don't you?" Ryotaro shouted at the dark-haired male. Sasuke gave a faint smile of his own as he began to walk back in line. However, after just three steps, Ryotaro held out his meaty hand to stop him in his tracks.

"Ohhh no you don't," he hissed. "New rule. Kill your opponent in less than a minute and you'll just have to fight someone else!"

Sasuke bit down on his tongue hard to prevent himself from saying anything to the blonde ninja. Choosing to abide to his ridiculous orders, he snapped his head back to glare at the mugshots that were randomly appearing next to his on the screen. Fine, all he had to do was defend himself for a minute before ending things just as quickly.

There was just one problem, however.

Akazo's eyes widened as much as his sockets would allow as he stared at the now unchanging screen. The colour in his face was rapidly depleting. He looked over to Sasuke to see if there was some sort of technological error or if he himself was at fault. He wondered if he gave himself a concussion in his earlier fit.

Unfortunately, due to the multiple prisoners staring at him now, it appeared that there was no mistake about it.

His face was next to Sasuke's on the screen.


	49. An Unspoken Duty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sudden distraction occurs during Akazo and Sasuke's fight to the death.

Probability didn't seem to be rooting for Akazo, not in this twisted world Gyatsō fully intended on creating. Come to think of it, none of his peers or allies had an even miniscule stroke of good luck or fortune either. In fact, one of them was sprawled motionless on the floor for all to see. Kurenai's bloodshot yet calm eyes and pale face were void of the slightest indication of life, the blood that quickly spurted from her chest wound forming a large crimson puddle beneath her corpse.

Well, maybe he _was_ lucky, in regard to the fact that things could easily be so much worse. For all he knew an hour ago, every single last one of them could've been lined up and executed swiftly. At least now supposedly half of these dispirited people could fight for their lives at the expense of one of their comrade's.

Half of them excluding Akazo himself. He knew damn well that the son of wannabe Yuo Nimiah couldn't hold a candle to the amazingly gifted child of Fugaku Uchiha, who was so confident in his own abilities that he was willing to engage in a war against the entire village, against Hiruzen Sarutobi, against Minato Namikaze. Sasuke was close to doing the same thing in his quest for vengeance barely five years ago, and his friendship with Akazo was one of the reasons why he decided to protect the village to begin with.

_Is he really going to put me down? _Akazo couldn't help thinking with dread. Just like Kurenai, though, he didn't ignore the fact that the powerful young man with Sharingan - and recently, Mangekyou Sharingan - would fare much better in an uprising than the person who couldn't even defeat Kimimaro in a one-on-one bout. While Sasuke had the Chidori and its many subsequent variations that allowed him to make an immediate kill or to paralyse the body, Akazo only had a few amateur genjutsu techniques and a limited set of fire and water style ninjutsu. His taijutsu compared to Sasuke's was nothing short of laughable. He even learned firsthand how much stamina Sasuke had earlier, when he fought a small army and didn't break a sweat.

Yes, perhaps it was finally time to give in and realise that there are shinobi simply better at things than him. For that young woman he saw earlier - Sakura, he recalls her name now - it was medical ninjutsu. For Kurenai, it definitely would have been genjutsu. Even though hers was undoubtedly less powerful than Itachi's, she was viewed as one of the village's best genjutsu users. For Sasuke, it would be.. everything he could think of.

A smile, arguably disturbing for a time like this, formed across Akazo's dry lips. He was relieved that this despair-ridden prison didn't seem to change that peculiar sense of humour of his. Oh, who cared that his ultimate demise was about to take place here? It was either a life in Gyatsō's self-proclaimed "world of peace" or a gruesome death in front of his comrades anyway. What better alternatives could there possibly be?

"Hey, you!" he heard Ryotaro angrily bark in his direction. Akazo slowly turned his head to look into the warden's light emerald eyes and was immediately repulsed once again. Ryotaro could have at least wipe away the glob of saliva that stuck to his aftershave during his hostile rants at Sasuke. Akazo wasn't particularly paying attention to him, though, so he only began to walk toward Sasuke when he heard something along the lines of, "Go to the middle," "Piece of shit," and "Have fun, cunt."

Just as with Sasuke and Kurenai's "skirmish," a five minute timer appeared underneath their respective mugshots on the large screen and began counting down. Akazo downright refused to look his friend-soon-to-be-executor in the eyes. He looked far off in the distance to make out a figure standing on a metal foundation near the ceiling. It was the same masked guard who handcuffed Ketsueki earlier. When Akazo squinted a little to get a better look, he could've sworn he saw some faint red light emitting from the guard's eye holes. Before he could be sure, the guard suddenly vanished from thin air. Akazo wondered if anyone else saw him.

"...You don't have to make this even more uncomfortable than it already is," Sasuke told him quietly. Akazo hesitantly looked at him and subtly nodded his head. What exact words could he say to even attempt to dissuade Sasuke from killing him, to revolt here and now and hopefully flee the village? Was it even worth it? Maybe he actually could try to kill Sasuke...

_Good goddamn luck with that, Akazo, Jesus Christ! I don't know why I'm so scared to just.. die. I was faced with death due to Gyatsō twice already. So why?!_ he demanded himself. He then looked into Sasuke's dark nonchalant eyes and let out a small chuckle. Just like his daring smile, how could the mere thought of laughter cross his mind?

_Oh yeah, that's why. My best friend's murdering me._

"If you don't want to personally talk Akazo, I completely understand. But.. is there.. a message you'd like me to relay to your family or loved ones?" Sasuke asked, peering into his friend's now widened eyes.

_So he really is going through with this. Can't say I blame him._

Akazo let out a calm sigh and shook his head, still indecisively pondering on what the hell kind of speech he was about to give for all to behold. Since he was about to die in less than four minutes and forty-two seconds now, he considered first verbally assaulting Gyatsō and the Hidden Dark Nation, then inspiring his comrades to fight back, no matter the losses. He then noticed Tsurugi's cold expression that demanded him to think of something else. Nothing came to mind.

"You two little shits better start fighting in five seconds or I'll execute you both!" Ryotaro berated. Both Sasuke and Akazo immediately assumed a defencive stance, studying each other closely to see who would make the first move.

Akazo was watching Sasuke's hands in case he was readying a ninjutsu technique, and only slowly looked up to his lips when he realised they were mouthing two words that even he could easily read.

_"I'm sorry."_

Sasuke appeared at Akazo's right side, throwing his left leg toward the young man's hip. Akazo was extremely surprised to find that he blocked this initial strike with his forearm. Now normally, his shoulder would've been easily dislocated from the force of the Uchiha's blow, but he found no pain to be coming his way. He promptly looked up at Sasuke, who was smiling at him.

_No way... is he..._

Before he could put two and two together, Sasuke spun on his right foot to reposition himself behind Akazo, his extended leg flying toward his back. Akazo quickly turned around and brought his own leg up to slam it against Sasuke's, then used his other to sweep away Sasuke's free foot, sending him tumbling to the ground.

_He really is performing like we're training, _Akazo realised. _Except he's restraining himself heavily._

The dark-haired ANBU member turned his head to look at the timer. 4:27... 4:26... 4:25... Would Sasuke end the façade as soon as the time reached four minutes? This new fear prevented Akazo from blocking the right hook that knocked him to the ground. He looked up at Sasuke and once again easily read his expression.

_"What the hell, Akazo? I'm giving you a lot of room to work with. Don't take it for granted."_

"Yeah, yeah," Akazo muttered as he got back up on his feet. Tsurugi took a step forward and rose an eyebrow in suspicion. At that moment, Akazo lowered his head and wished his friend would just kill him then and there. The last thing he wanted was Tsurugi on Sasuke's case had he noticed he wasn't fighting with intent to kill.

"Chidori: Stream!" Sasuke yelled a bit too loud. The signal was crystal clear for Akazo, though. Even more so when he saw that the electricity emitting from Sasuke's body started off as weak little spurts, rather than the powerful currents that could quickly electrocute everyone in the room. Akazo jumped high out of its effective half-foot radius and began to perform several hand signs. Sasuke instantly knew what jutsu was about to be launched his way and simply performed the horse hand sign. Regardless of how weak he can make himself appear physically, it's almost instinctive for him to have superior battle knowledge.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Caterwaul!" Akazo yelled. He expelled multiple dragon-headed fireballs from his mouth to cover the frontal, left and right side of his supposed assailant. As the dragon-heads quickly moved in an erratic manner, it made the technique much more difficult to avoid. Luckily for Sasuke, he had no such reason to dodge the somewhat advanced technique.

"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"

One of the most notorious of Uchiha fire style jutsus, a fair amount of chakra kneaded inside his body was converted into fire, and then expelled from his mouth into a literal sea of flames. The technique covered a wide area far enough to be able to both smash against each of Akazo's fireballs and absorb them. This was no restrained jutsu, it would be more than enough to incinerate any person caught in it. Just now realising this, Sasuke dialed the jutsu down significantly to allow Akazo to dispel the fire with a similar water style jutsu. On contact, a large amount of smoke quickly engulfed the room. Akazo had barely made out the 4:12 on the screen when it was covered by the hovering black clouds.

The two shinobi clearly knew that even though they were effectively shielded by the heavy smoke, they were still being monitored by at least one guard with good enough eyes. Akazo turned around to see two small red circles through the smoke quickly approaching him.

"There's that Sharingan," Akazo said to himself. He easily dodged the various kicks and punches Sasuke sloppily tossed at him before directing a blow of his own to Sasuke's cheek. However, Sasuke tightly held onto his wrist, preventing Akazo from bounding back. The smoke around them slowly dissipated, with both of them staring at the screen in the back.

4:00... 3:59... 3:58...

The new stipulation that the fight must first exceed exactly 60 seconds or else the victor will fight again had no effect whatsoever now. From this point on, everyone present in the room understood that whatever happens, happens. Even Akazo. So why did he find it surprising that Sasuke flipped him over his shoulders to send him crashing against the ground with devastating impact? Why did he view it as shocking to see his best friend above him, charging a piercing Chidori in his palm?

_This is it, _Akazo thought. He stared up into those bright ceiling lights, silently waiting for death to embrace him whole. He assumed that the massive amounts of blood coating those lights and the walls were his, but he didn't relatively feel anything close to pain again. Actually, he felt quite fine except for the discomfort in his back. Is this what dying felt like? No, that back pain was from Sasuke's hip throw... so what about the blood? It had to be his. When he looked at Sasuke, surely he'd find his best friend's Chidori to be digging into his chest. No, instead, Sasuke's electrified hand was still at his side, but his head was turned to the group of prisoners. What caught his attention?

Akazo decided to look over there, too, for what little meaning it had. He saw a horned beast of some sort with thin, long crimson hair roaring at the top of its lungs, yanking its sharp, blood covered claws from the chest of a Hidden Sound guard. It then moved onto the next few guards that were closing in on it with swords drawn. What was happening at a time like this? What was that strange creature? It took a few moments for him to realise that that was no creature, but a man... Ketsueki!

The survivor of the Kuraiya clan massacre was tearing through the guards in his unsealed Red form! But why now, when Sasuke was about to cruelly murder his friend? Akazo was still struggling to make sense of it all, to differentiate between life and death, between reality and illusion. But this sensation... the smell of blood, those undeniable cries of agony and woe and death - this was real.

Ketsueki's earlier words echoed through Akazo's ringing head. _This is a time where we must be patient and cautious. Even if you were to break out of here, what would you do then? Do you truly think the two of you could rebel against potentially thousands and thousands of enemy shinobi? You have to think more clearly, Akazo._

He realised how absurd it was for those words to hold up, considering the very man who spoke them was now brutally slaughtering prison guards left and right. How was that being "patient" and "cautious?" Why would _one _man be enough to rebel instead of two? Then Akazo immediately understood why Ketsueki was doing this. This alarming distraction caused Sasuke to halt his progress in killing him. This was no coincidence. Ketsueki just saved his life.

Did Ketsueki want the both of them to fight back with him? Maybe the swordsman saw the two of them as viable companions during their battle against Gyatsō and Zuko earlier. Akazo began to slowly rise up in hopes of helping Ketsueki, but the redhead shot him a menacing glare that stopped him in his tracks. Another message... maybe those words _did_ hold value to him.

The blood-coated screen was at just three minutes and forty-five seconds when Ketsueki threw himself into the metal wall, breaking through it to expose the room to the soothing orange light of dusk. A new large group of prison guards chased after him. The rest of them quickly apprehended the prisoners in order to prevent them from escaping as well.

Ryotaro, having hidden himself behind another metal foundation, revealed himself and spoke into his headpiece, possibly to his own higher-ups. He wiped away blood that landed on his face and slowly composed himself. It was obvious he feared the raging Ketsueki would find and obliterate him until only smithereens remained.

"Take them back to their cells. The games are canceled," he told the guards bitterly. Akazo only thought about two things during their return to his cell: would Ketsueki actually be able to successfully escape the village, and would his friendship with Sasuke change? Only the two of them would be present in the cell, now that Kurenai was dead and Ketsueki was wandering the village with very well over a hundred shinobi closely after him.

The harsh sound of metal banging against metal once again pulled Akazo out of his deep thoughts. He pressed his back against the wall and slowly slid down into a crouch, then fell onto his side. He wondered what would become of them all, if they'd be forced to fight under the same circumstances again. With today's sequence of events, that didn't seem as strong a possibility.

He then weakly moved his head so he could look at his ANBU partner, staring blankly outside of the cell - which was equivalent to about absolutely nothing.

His friendship with Sasuke Uchiha... retaining _that_ didn't seem to be a strong possibility either.


	50. Father and Daughter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaori Kuraiya is recovering from her injuries sustained in her fight against the Osore when a certain someone makes an unannounced arrival.

Kaori used her left arm to gently pull the shutters towards her, slowly covering more and more of the window until daybreak's orange light no longer intruded through any crevices in the large shack. Whatever that remained of her brutally detached right arm was tightly wrapped in a soft and damp cloth, resting hopelessly immobile behind the sleeve of her kimono. The daughter of the Kuraiya clan's leader then directed her attention to the silent woman that stood near the entrance of the door. Kaori's shiny blue eyes met the woman's contrasting orange hues and gave her a light smile. Due to her enduring silence, Kaori concluded she was the one who needed to break the ice.

"It's the worst-case scenario in the Hidden Stone, right? That's the only reason why you'd be so hesitant to even greet me," Kaori told her softly. The shorter woman timidly nodded her head in response. She was lucky to even be standing there alive, having firsthand witnessed the devastating capture of the Stone in concealment. Under Kaori's direct orders, the white-haired female was to remain in the shadows and assess the strength of the enemy, no matter what happened to her superior. Unfortunately, she didn't expect Hikari to cut off her arm so carelessly. The woman fought off her building tears and struggled to look Kaori in the eyes for any longer.

"I would have helped you in a heartbeat, bu-"

Kaori quickly interrupted her by pressing a cold finger against the woman's lips, already anticipating her forthcoming words of reassurance. Frankly, she just didn't want to hear any of it.

"Don't go there, Taura. Just... don't, okay? Gyatsō would've killed you had he sensed your presence," Kaori pointed out. Once again, Taura only nodded her head slightly. There was absolutely no reason to even bring up the would'ves and the should'ves, she knew that. In fact, she was merely reaching for the small opportunity to delay the inevitable, to avoid telling Kaori that Gyatsō had all of their friends killed during the raid, that nearly every symbol of Hidden Stone patriotism was burned down to ashes.

"Don't think about _that _either," Kaori said in a whisper. Her father Ketsueki trained his eyes to immediately spot the least noticeable of peculiarities in his opponents, just as he did when he caught Gyatsō alternating between his Rinnegan and Shaolin. Kaori had keen eyes herself - eyes disciplined to detect and read a person's thoughts and emotions through their face. At that moment, Taura was nowhere near being able to suppress her deepest fears regarding the current state of her village. Kaori had read her like a book, and she knew it.

"I-it's just that I can't stop thinking about what's happening back home," Taura choked out faintly, finally letting her tears run down her apricot cheeks freely. Kaori hesitated to reassure Taura herself. With the fact that the Stone could still very well be under siege deeply implanted into their minds, what good would such lip service do? If anything, it would validate Taura's potential return home - a precarious walk into the jaws of death. Rather than bolstering this possibility in any way, the redheaded kunoichi led her to the large wooden table in the middle of the room.

"It's okay, really. Let's worry about other things, yeah? Did you eat anything on your way back?" Kaori asked her. Taura sniffed a few times as she picked at her fingernails and stared at the floor. For some reason, Kaori was bothered by Taura's present lack of emotion.

"No, I haven't eaten in a few days... but I'm not really hungry," Taura replied. Kaori let out a hearty laugh and slowly reached over to take the woman's soft hands in her own. Taura couldn't help weakly smiling at the kind gesture.

"You know how crazy you sound right now? Come on, at least let me make you _something_," Kaori insisted. Taura shook her head and stood up, letting the caring embrace in their hands slowly break apart.

"I'll go to Naritaka's if you really want me to eat," Taura told her as she began to walk for the door. "I'd hate to eat up what little you have left."

Kaori turned in her chair to once again look into Taura's ambivalent eyes. The white-haired female immediately brought her eyes to the floor again, herself uneasy about something. Kaori figured it had something to do with home, but she still didn't regret declining the woman's subtle request.

"Oh. Well, Naritaka's Shoppe doesn't sell particularly cheap food. I can spare a little bit of money if you need any," said Kaori. Taura dismissively shook her head and opened the door. The light that previously obstructed Kaori's vision immediately returned and caused her to flinch uncomfortably.

"T-thank you, Lady Kaori. For everything."

The door then shut quickly. Even though she was partially disoriented from the light outside, Kaori could make out Taura's hysterical sobbing. Her suspicions rose even more so when she took a moment to take in the woman's parting words.

_ For everything?! _Kaori thought frantically_. __Goddamnit__Taura__, you better not be thinking about going back to that hellhole!_

Taking her injury into account, she carefully jumped out of her chair and made a beeline for the door. Kaori could hear her own rapid heartbeat upon opening it to find no Taura, but the gentle pitter-patter of the forest's evening rainfall.

_Where did she go so quickly?_

"Taura!" Kaori cried out. No response. The kunoichi then hurriedly walked in the vicinity of her shed, checking usual areas of traffic, shortcuts, even behind large bushes and trees. The longer she looked for the ill-fated woman, the more agitated she became. Finally, after twenty minutes of searching, Kaori decided to go back.

"What's with her?!" she yelled as she slammed the door shut with all her strength. An excruciating wave of pain from her right side gripped the rest of her body vice-like, making the woman instantly bemoan the action. She carefully walked into the icy bathroom on the left side of the room and slowly closed the door.

She looked into the mirror and immediately pouted at her disgruntled reflection. _I look so tired. I guess I have been losing a lot of sleep as of late_, she thought,quickly taking note of the noticeable bags that had formed under her eyes. She then turned the bathtub faucet a few times to the right and stared at the fresh, hot water pouring out in front of her. A faint knock on the door interrupted Kaori from meticulously taking off her kimono.

"The hell?" she mumbled to herself. Moments of silence passed on both Kaori's side of the door and the unknown visitor's. Kaori decided to overlook the sound both due to her assumption that she had imagined it and the fact that she didn't want to be bothered by anyone at the moment. A louder second knock came as she was descending a leg into the tub.

"Yeah? Who is it?" Kaori asked loudly. It was at that time when she realised the mystery person must have broken through her locked front door or through the back. No matter though, she'd be more willing to fight an intruder after a nice, soothing bath - so long as the intruder doesn't get any funny ideas and attack her first. No reply came from the other side of the door yet. The redheaded woman sunk into the bubble-filled tub and let out a long, relaxing sigh. The third knock wasn't going to make her get up, not now, not ever. She just _really _did not want to be bothered.

"Just give me a minute!" she said. The intruder's response came in footsteps. From easily audible behind the door to just faint paces leading to wherever the hell they were going, she couldn't care less. Kaori slowly closed her eyes and let out another peaceful sigh. In seemingly no time at all, fifteen minutes had come and gone. With the pain on her right side significantly diminished and her nerves calmed (more or less), she finally got out of the tub and dried herself off with a cyan towel.

"I gotta say, you've got balls for sneaking into a Kuraiya's home," she said loudly. "Whoever you are."

Kaori then slid on a new clean kimono roughly the same colour as her hair and tightly re-wrapped her right arm. A vibrant smile met her when she looked in the mirror this time. There were still slight bags under her eyes, but she rid herself of all of the previous grime and dirt that had accumulated on her face and body.

_Okay, let's see who this little bastard is._

Kaori opened the bathroom door and stepped out carefully. A tall redheaded figure that appeared to be some man was sitting at the wooden table, his back turned to her. Kaori felt her heart skip a beat as she thoroughly studied whatever she could of him. Something seemed faintly familiar about him, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it yet. It instantly hit her when the man began to speak.

"You're far too laid-back for a stranger to be roaming your house," he had said calmly.

_There's no way in hell... but that voice..._

The man remained silent for about ten seconds for a response, then turned around in his seat. Kaori let out a weak yelp before gritting her teeth as hard as she could. No matter how much she wanted to deny it, her father was sitting before her with a lively smile of his own. Surely only a day or two have passed since his daring escape from Konoha, but he remarkably didn't look worn out at all. He had a new, clean blue poncho covering everything from his neck to his waist. His hair, previously unattended for, neatly fringed. Neatly shaved, and even a little touch of makeup on his face. Didn't look at all like an escaped prisoner.

"To lower your guard in the presence of a potential enemy... is _that _how I raised you?" Ketsueki asked. Kaori quickly reached over into her ninja tools pouch and pulled out a kunai. Before either one of them could say another word, she aimed the projectile at his head and threw it as hard as her strength would allow. Ketsueki deflected the small weapon with a sizable kitchen knife that had been on the table.

"Hey. Easy there, Kaori," he said impatiently. Kaori was digging into her pouch to retrieve another kunai, clearly unhinged by his sudden appearance. However, she caught herself to be quietly sobbing at the same time. Her fidgety hand clasped the blade so hard that she managed to cut herself. A single drop of blood fell onto the fur carpet. 

"Raised me...? _Raised _me?! You... youleft us when I was a fucking baby!" Kaori yelled. Ketsueki hesitantly stood out of his chair and frowned at the irate woman. He then took a cautious step towards her. Kaori immediately pointed the blade at him as a warning, but it didn't stop him from advancing to her slowly. To her, his looming presence felt as if _he _was approaching her with a deadly weapon, prepared to sabotage the very end of her life just as he did with its start.

"Stay away from me, you son of a bitch!" Kaori screeched. Ketsueki winced at her hostile words but kept coming towards her. When he wrapped his arms around the woman in a stiff hug, she repeatedly jabbed the blade into his hip as fast as she could. One, two, three, four... Kaori precisely counted how many times she penetrated his flesh with the knife, each vigorous stab representing how many years she had to grow up with a disheartened, lonely mother, how many years she loathed the heinous man standing before her now. Wouldn't killing Ketsueki Kuraiya now be what many in the Leaf would envy? To end the life of a former New Akatsuki member, conman, mercenary, traitor, deadbeat... it wouldn't be hard at all to justify the act.

"Kaori!" Ketsueki gasped out. The first few stabs made him exhale in pain. Kaori was well on her way to mercilessly stab him a tenth time, but Ketsueki used Reddokarīngu to form a small shield of hardened blood over his wound as a measure of defence. Unsurprisingly, the woman's kunai was immediately rendered useless against the tiny but effective shield.

"I'll kill you," Kaori said in a hushed yet melancholy voice. She slowly released her grip on the kunai, allowing it to fall and stick in the wooden floor instead. The woman continued to cry softly in her father's arms. She viewed the hug as no different from embracing a massive fire in open arms, but the longer they hugged, the less intense the heat from such a flame would grow. This particular form of compassion between them felt nothing short of alien.

_At least she's not outright rejecting me. Not much anyway,_ Ketsueki thought. The last time he saw - let alone hugged - his daughter was indeed during her very early childhood. He understood that his unannounced appearance would shake the young woman up, that was obvious. But now he feared that an apology or explanation of some sort would just anger her again. There was just one question the man couldn't fight off asking anymore though. He tilted his head slightly downwards to look at Kaori.

"Is Karin doing well?" he asked collectedly. The mention of her mother caused Kaori to quickly open her eyes and look up into her father's. Up until now, she figured that he couldn't care less about her since they divorced following his sudden abandoning of them. Ketsueki's eyes, she noted, didn't appear to bear the faintest sign of malice or insincerity to them. She was taken aback by the unwavering lavender pupils she never studied until now. Either he was _very_ good at faking certain emotions... or he really did care about her mother.

"...S-she's been occupied taking care of Kazuhiko. He's sick. But Mother's managing fine," she replied, her voice more composed. Ketsueki smiled softly and stroked the woman's hair in an attempt to soothe her. Kaori absolutely despised this of course, but she had to admit... it did make her feel a bit calmer. Ketsueki placed his chin on top of his daughter's head and rocked her gently.

"Ah, that's right... Kazuhiko," he said with a hint of unfamiliarity in his voice, resembling one attempting to remember a person long ago forgotten. To be fair, he pretty much was. According to his memory, his only son had hopes of becoming the new leader of the Kuraiya clan following his death. Ketsueki once told him that his uncle Furesshu would instead assume the position. Nobody knows what Furesshu's whereabouts are - if he's even alive. Ketsueki often thought about his brother, the only other survivor of the fated massacre.

"The last time I saw my son, he was a mildly annoying, provocative little boy. Always pulled on our hair, mine and your mother's... how old are the two of you now?" he asked.

"I just turned eighteen last week, and Kazu's seven years older than me. That makes him twenty-five," Kaori replied. Ketsueki kissed her cheek and slowly closed his eyes.

_Those seven years with Karin and Kazuhiko, easily the best years of my life. I was finally creating a new generation for the clan, but... but...._

"Last week, huh? I wish I came a week earlier then. Happy belated birthday," he said wistfully. Kaori sniffed and smiled at him gently. A week ago, she never would've accepted her father's visit, and she damn sure wouldn't be standing there hugging him. If not for Taura throwing her for a loop, perhaps she'd be in the process of killing her father right now. Her father...

"Thank you... Father."

Ketsueki felt his own heart skip a few beats. One of his most reliable sources informed him of the battle Kaori had with Gyatsō and the Osore a while back, including how she spat out his name with a disgusted hiss. To his knowledge, she had never referred to him as her father, but just a man she unfortunately knew about. To hear her finally acknowledge him... even a hardened shinobi who's taken hundreds of lives would start to tear up at that revelation, so it came as no surprise when the salty streams made their way down his cheeks.

"What the hell are you crying about?" Kaori asked, the shakiness of her voice immediately returning. Ketsueki briefly rose the end of his poncho to his eyes. A split second later, he lowered it, his eyes now dry.

"Like you're one to talk," Ketsueki said back. Kaori pouted at her father and looked away from him, instead bringing her gaze to the front door. The lock looked untouched, and there were no other signs of forced entry. Somehow, she knew he didn't break in from the back either, so how the hell did he get in? Actually, there was something more important to think about.

"Why are you here exactly?" Kaori blurted out. The question was brought up so nonchalantly that the younger woman thought of it as rude. With Ketsueki's slightly hurt facial expression, she knew she hit the nail on the head. Ketsueki let his arms slowly fall to his side, and Kaori would be a damn liar if she said she didn't already miss that unusual yet calming feeling.

"Is there a better place we can talk?" her father asked. Kaori nodded her head and led him to a larger room further down to the right. Unlike the living room and bathroom, bright blue wallpapers covered with large flowers decorated a majority of the walls, accompanied by several paintings signed by the most famous of artists. An antique-looking chandelier swayed gently in the middle of the room as they sat at a small table covered in fur. Ketsueki brushed his hand against the soft material and looked up to his daughter quizzically.

"This shack looked pretty run-down and shoddy from the outside, but the interior looks like it actually costed quite a fortune," he said as his fingers meticulously examined the fur. "You don't exactly strike me as some lavish businesswoman, so how'd you pay for all of this?"

"The Tsuchikage and I are close friends. He had the place set up for me as a gift when I was being pursued by the Hidden Cloud. I didn't have to pay a dime for the construction or décor," she answered. Ketsueki crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.

"You _were _a close friend of his," he corrected. "Lord Owabi has been killed. The same goes for Ladies Temari and Nori."

"The Kazekage and Hokage have fallen, too? This fiasco is such a headache. I'd rather not think about Gyatsō Mataba or a Hidden Dark Nation or anything involving this mess. People are calling this the Fifth Great Ninja War, for Pete's sake! " Kaori exclaimed uneasily. Ketsueki looked at Kaori's right side and frowned slightly, feeling his own nerves starting to get the better of him. He knew now that there was no such thing as a time for making slow, careful decisions. "Father, exactly what happened back home?" Kaori's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Our resistance in the Leaf was outnumbered, crushed. The Hidden Sound and Dark had us all imprisoned. I was only able to make it out alive thanks to Red," he admitted. Kaori rose an eyebrow and inspected several parts of her father's body, such as his neck and arms. She heard rumours of the powerful curse mark given to him, but where was the seal located?

"Red? Is that the name of the curse mark, as in Red's Curse Mark?" she asked confusingly.   
Ketsueki shook his head and performed a few hand signs. Even though there were no enemies present, he allowed five percent of Red's seal to come undone. As a result, his eyes slowly turned crimson and parts of his hair extended. A few select black markings appeared under his eyes.

"Red isn't a traditional curse mark. He used to be a powerful chakra deity. When I was born, your grandparents cut me on the cheek and poured his blood into the wound to bestow upon me his unrivaled chakra," he explained. Kaori began to frown at the ridiculous story, barely able to follow him.

"How did they even get his blood, if he was some god?" she asked.

"When Red was eventually defeated, all of his remaining blood was frozen in tiny capsules and stowed away for extensive research. Your grandparents just happened to own one of those capsules. I still don't know why they decided to give me Red's power so immediately after my birth," he sighed out. 

"I'd hate to criticise my grandparents but.. maybe they broke Kuraiya code and had a child only to use it as a test subject," she suggested. Ketsueki nodded.

"I could've died as soon as they put his blood in me. I didn't know my parents all that well. When I was a kid, your grandfather trained me to the bone so that my Reddokarīngu could make me hang with the ANBU Black Ops. And your grandmother... well, I don't know. They all died when I was eleven, anyway."

"Mother did her best to hide the massacre's details, but I did a little bit of snooping around," Kaori said. "Found out that the great-great-grandson of our clan's founder is the reason why everything went the way it did. He threatened the Hokage's life, and as a result, the entire clan was almost entirely cut off from the village. Pretty much got the Uchiha treatment."

Ketsueki stared at Kaori in amazement. Details so accurate were kept secret among the village's top leaders, out of reach of any common villager. And yet, Kaori - a young woman who never even resided in the Leaf to begin with - had access to such information. The only possible reason for this, he concluded, was that Kaori eventually visited the Leaf and talked to Naruto. Since she was very well the daughter of the man who tried to destroy the village, he figured there would be at least a little animosity towards her. Apparently not.

"The higher-ups thought it'd be much easier to kill off the Kuraiya in order to end the rumour that we were going to launch a coup d'état, like the Uchiha. Unfortunately for them, Red's power was more than enough for me to survive that night.. wait a minute," Ketsueki said, looking more stern. Kaori slightly squinted at him, reaching the realisation at the same time.

"Father, you don't think that my grandparents...?"

"I think they gave me Red in case anything like that happened. To continue living. To create a new generation of Kuraiya from the ground up, and ensure past mistakes aren't repeated," Ketsueki said quietly.

"If Uncle Furesshu is dead, you're the only Kuraiya who experienced the massacre and is alive to tell the story. I wanted to believe that Kazuhiko would make a better leader for the clan, but.. you're certainly a case, Father," Kaori sighed out.

"You are, too. Why do you choose to reside in this depressing forest alone?" Ketsueki asked.

"It's not like it's hugs and kisses between the Hidden Leaf and I. They're the people who killed hundreds of my family members, _you'd _know that. And I'm nowhere near as forgiving as you," she replied. A split second later, she realised how idiotic that sounded, as she was sitting there talking to _Ketsueki_ of all people. Didn't she admit she'd kill him in any other circumstance?

"Hey, I never said I forgave them either. I just decided to view the Leaf as a symbol of our people to protect. But Gyatsō took control of the village, so I guess it was all for naught... actually, that's why I came to visit you like this," he said. Kaori rose her eyebrows again in interest. He slowly reached over to take her hands in his own, just as she did with Taura earlier. Not unlike their previous hug, it felt very, _very _foreign. Affectionate, but foreign.

"What is it that you want to tell me, Father?" she asked softly.

"When I take my leave shortly, tell Kazuhiko that he is to immediately assume the leadership of the Kuraiya clan," he choked out.

"What? What the hell do you want me to do that for?"

"Kaori... from here on, I want you and everyone else to act as if I am dead."


	51. Suzuka Yae, a Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hikari reminisces about an old friend from his past.

He didn't make it. His master was on the verge of death, and who knew what remained of his best friend's life? Hikari furiously gritted his teeth as hard as he could, bitterly staring at his reflection in Killer Bee's shades. Anyone else would make nothing of such a reflection, but to him, he was glancing at nothing more than a failure as a subordinate and a failure as a friend. While Zuko and Gyatsō were sprawled helpless in their barriers, likely to succumb to their injuries at any moment, there he laid in front of the Raikage, currently bested by the elder shinobi. Every time the Osore member made a movement that would put him closer to Gyatsō's position, Bee would send him flying back a greater distance with a strong blow from his arms or legs. It was an utterly humiliating experience for Hikari. It also greatly contributed to his fast-growing fury, which threatened to throw the man into a stage of unintelligible wrath.

Solely driven by such anger, the blonde shinobi quickly jumped to his feet and performed several Supido-style hand seals. Bee, obviously annoyed to no end by the man's persistence, let out a miffed sigh and extended his arms away from his body in a defencive position. Immediately after, a tremendous, fierce surge of electricity pulsated around the Raikage's body, a force that easily caved in the ground beneath him. The release of such powerful energy seemed to come to life, warning his opponent that he wasn't intimidated by his earlier display of speed. Besides, Bee thought Hikari would eventually slip up if he allowed his emotions to get the better of him. At this rate, it wasn't that weak a possibility. So long as he remained a direct obstacle for Gyatsō's safety, he figured Hikari would be kept unhinged. Thus kept at bay.

"You know something, Raikage? You're _really _starting to get on my damned nerves," Hikari managed to growl through his teeth. Bee smiled at the younger male and did his best to provoke him even more so. His response came in varied brash taunts, all of which stemmed back to the fact that his "precious master" was bleeding out by the second. Unsurprisingly, Hikari took the bait and rushed towards the dark-skinned man with unprecedented quickness, even for him.

"Supido: Kyūshū!" he screamed out. Both of Hikari's fists were engulfed in a peculiar red aura that Bee was unfamiliar with. When Hikari got close enough, though, he got an idea on what this Supido technique enabled. Hikari swung lightning-fast punches Bee's way, the air around them vibrating to such a degree that it sounded as if it was being ripped in half. Distinctive crimson waves were sent into the atmosphere every time the Osore member threw a fist back to strike at the Raikage with his other fist. With the heightened speed that came with his cloak of electricity, Bee managed to dodge each blow without too much difficultly. However, the red waves he unfortunately ignored to this point engulfed his body and slowed his movements down nearly tenfold. The effects of the waves appeared to both linger and increase with time, as Bee found himself completely unable to move after only ten seconds. Hikari viewed this new opening as a chance to avenge his allies, but more importantly, to avenge himself. How could this nonsensical old buzzard push him to the breaking point so? Expose his weaknesses and establish a sense of inferiority inside him?

A twisted smile spread along Hikari's lips at such a query. Yes, vengeance was going to be _quite_ enjoyable. He pulled out three of his signature needles from the pouch strapped to his lower back and slowly traced his fingers along the cold metal objects. In a new state of unaware stupor, he fantasised pinning Bee to a wall or building with over a hundred of the things, for the Kage to experience the worst fathomable humiliation before having his life taken by Gyatsō. The thought of his superior snapped Hikari out of his blood-lusted trance and made him realise what little time the Osore's leader had remaining.

Making good on his promise to completely incapacitate Bee, Hikari threw the needles deep into his neck. Just a single one was more than enough to instantly send Itachi into a state of unconsciousness, but Bee was still standing, straight even, although trembling. Possibly in an effort to somehow dispel the effects of the Kyūshū with his chakra. The sight roused Hikari's anger once again, as he was standing in front of Bee before he knew it. He slammed a knee into the Raikage's stomach and immediately gasped out in pain. A large chakra tail protruding from Bee's right arm had suddenly appeared and deflected the attack. The tail then spun around rapidly before slamming against the Osore member's body, once again sending him flying further away from Gyatsō.

_Why aren't the needles affecting him?!_ Hikari thought as he landed on the ground. Numerous theories came to mind, such as Bee donned a Tailed Beast chakra coat to act as a protective layer under his skin, or that the complicated poisonous substance covering each needle was rendered ineffective by Gyuki's unyielding chakra. Whichever one was true, what did it matter? In the end, Hikari's plots were yet again crushed by Bee. Proving himself to be of even less use to his superior.

Speaking of Gyatsō, Hikari dismally concluded that he must have bled out by now, so his thoughts drifted to who would lead the Hidden Dark Nation in his place. Perhaps his long-time protégé Zuko would be the best fit. That is, if he doesn't die from his wounds, the complete exhaustion of his chakra, or his guaranteed suicide upon learning of Gyatsō's death. Next. What about Sebbech? The undoubtedly capable young man managed to single-handedly lead the entire Hidden Mist Village at one point. But then Hikari remembered Sebbech's Sailor of Blood moniker would just get all of them killed if he ever saw them as expendable threats. Which he inevitably would. Next. Seiko was just Sebbech's lackey. Far too ill-equipped to be a leader. Next. Orochimaru was too unpredictable to trust with the position. Next. Hide's predecessor Doctorisha betrayed Gyatsō at the worst possible time, so who's to say Hide wouldn't do the same? Next. The only one left was Hikari himself... out of the question. The new leader of their nation would have to rise in its time of need and ensure that the Five Great Nations are not pulled out of their grasp...

The description of that kind of leader made Hikari immediately wince. It almost perfectly aligned with the personality of somebody within his memory. He cursed himself for not coming up with a name or face after being taken aback from the mere thought of the person alone. He knew that he came up with some kind of way to remember the person, but what on earth was it? Speed of.. something. Speed of sound? No, that's not it...

_Speed of light,_ he eventually remembered. The feminine name Suzuka, of Japanese origin. Meaning, speed of light... how could he forget his closest childhood friend from the Hidden Stone Village? Even her name brought uniformity to their friendship. He, the Hidden Dark's Instant Flash, and Suzuka, its Speed of Light. As Bee slowly approached him, delicious memories of Suzuka being at his side soothed the hostility that had been boiling inside of him. That's also when he remembered the promise made between them.

_The promise! _Hikari thought in desperation. Accepting defeat now would be taking that special blood-entailed promise and breaking it into a million pieces. There was no way in hell Hikari was going to let that happen. He calmed his nerves and began walking towards Bee, even though those memories were still freely roaming his mind.

. . . .

"Why are you doing this? Just go away and leave me be!" a considerably younger Hikari pleaded. Nearly in the outskirts of the Hidden Stone, the boy was sitting far back in an empty alley, hoping to please both the angry villagers and himself by making it so that they didn't have to see each other. Well, the alley would be empty if not for himself and the girl with short red hair in front of him. She was trying to push a sizable loaf of warm bread in his hands, and he had assumed that it was sent by the villagers, either poisoned or riddled with small hidden blades and all sorts of terrible things. The fact that he never even saw the girl before didn't make it exactly easy to trust her either.

"My daddy made it. He's the village's most popular baker. I'm not leaving until I see you eat it, Mr. Skin and Bones!" she teased. Hikari lightly growled at her, but he didn't bother coming up with a rebuttal for that one. Since he suspected every single morsel of food that came his way, he put himself on a strict diet, to say the least. Basically only relying on the very limited vegetation that grew in the small fields outside the village. But even though he was almost driven to madness by starvation - a fate he wouldn't mind at all - he still rejected the bread. The girl pouted and quickly tore the loaf in half and stuffed her share in her mouth.

Hikari stared at the girl quizzically. Now why the hell would she eat half of what she apparently wanted _him_ to have so badly? Neither one of them knew each other's name, and there wasn't some past connection between them. Regardless, Hikari couldn't ignore the safety of the sweet-smelling bread presented by the girl's actions. He reluctantly took the other half and examined it for a good minute or two, then bit into it carefully. A soft and warm sensation wrapped itself around his dry tongue, and instantly, he craved that taste. He gobbled up the rest of his piece and sunk against the wall, in tears due to both its failure to end his hunger and the fear that he'll never eat anything that delectable again. The girl let out a sigh of relief and scooted over to sit next to him against the dirty aged building. The blonde-haired boy wanted to object to her company, but the euphoric taste lingering on his tongue prevented him from speaking. So there they sat in total silence, watching villagers come and go, the sun slowly making its usual decent, then nightfall's own quietness rendering everything peaceful.

A few hours passed. Hikari sluggishly opened his eyes and realised something was pressing against his shoulder. Since he had no source of light to identify whatever it was, he assumed it was some small hungry animal addicted to the faint smell of bread. To be fair, he was, too. He was quickly raising his free arm to strike at it when he heard it. Light snoring. Animals didn't snore like humans, so who had the nerve to invade his personal space?

_The girl,_ Hikari thought. He was simply amazed that she didn't bail when he eventually blacked out. Only one of the disadvantages of being malnourished. He slowly turned his body so that his face was inches from the girl's and calmed his own breathing to match hers. He felt uncomfortable with staring at her as she slept, but it wasn't like he had anything more important to do. He carefully moved his fingers to her forehead to part a few strands of her silky red hair. That's when she shot her eyes open and screamed at the top of her lungs.

"What are you doing?!" she exclaimed loudly. If none of the nearby villagers knew they were sitting in the dark alley, they definitely knew now. Multiple lights accompanied by speculative voices slowly approached the two children.

_Great. Just great, _Hikari thought as he flinched at the lights. One of his only hideouts was jeopardised by an unknown, pushy, over-reactive girl. He should've been the one to bail. The villagers' lights now revealed them, revealed Hikari's terrified face, revealed the girl's indifferent expression. Could it be that she didn't know of Hikari's status?

"Hey, it's _that_ kid!" a bald man sporting a grey beard shouted. He pointed at Hikari with a bat he came with propped on his shoulder.

"Oh my God, what are you doing to her?!" a woman with short black hair demanded. Several knives immediately came out. As the small group of villagers quickly made their way to them, Hikari bolted for a large ladder adjacent to the building. But the boy was so scared and so lethargic that his feet slipped on the tenth bar, sending him plummeting to the ground.

Very well all of the air in his lungs was forced out. And the pain was so unbearable that he almost wanted the mob to kill him in that alley. But no knives or bats ravaged his body, no fists or heavy boots tried to crush his skull. He slowly opened his eyes to see the girl's back facing him, her arms spread out protectively. Her lips were moving, but he couldn't hear anything. As the minutes rolled by for seemingly hours, the disgruntled villagers backed away from them and returned to the streets. The girl immediately turned around and helped Hikari sit up. Then he blacked out again. Whatever she said to the villagers, it made them spare his life...

"Do you really want to go through with this, Suzuka?" Hikari asked carefully. Two years have passed since the fateful night that created a new friendship. After the villagers left, the girl had carried Hikari to her house, where her mother treated his wounds and provided shelter for him. Since the boy had no home return to, the generous Yae family decided to have him live with them.

The redheaded girl threw a large box on the ground and rummaged through it. She eventually pulled out two swords and showed them to Hikari. Suzuka looked at her reflection in the shiny blades and smirked lightly. The two weapons reminded both of them of the two halves of bread. Accepting the bread established a friendship unlike any Hikari has ever had. Accepting the blades would forever change their appearances in the village, not looked at as naïve eleven-year-olds, but dangerous crooks with a vendetta.

"Oh yeah, I'm all in. You better be, too. This _is_ for everything they did to you, after all," she replied. Hikari frowned as his shaky hand clenched the grip of his sword. How far would he be willing to go in the pursuit of revenge? He was forced to use the Supido jutsu to escape Orochimaru's clutches, only to return to a place where every living soul branded him as a traitor. A mysterious man named Gyatsō had been occasionally popping up to offer him greater strength, and even though Hikari agreed to join him, he wasn't ready to leave the village or partake in anything drastic yet. And now his best friend Suzuka wanted him to threaten and rob villagers just for revenge. But he could never forget that she appeared in his time of need.

Never.

Hikari slid his sword into its sheath and nodded at Suzuka. The energetic girl could hardly contain herself as she slipped into a black hooded robe. Hikari tied his hair into a short ponytail and quickly put on his own robe. They checked on Suzuka's parents, soundly asleep in the bedroom upstairs, before pulling their hoods on and quietly leaving the house. The two children moved like shadows under night's watch. In no time at all, they were roaming the least populated area of the village - Sabishi Street.

Suzuka and Hikari ducked behind a small abandoned building at the corner. Two villagers, a man and a woman, were unsuspectingly walking in their direction. Suzuka squinted as she stared at the various distinctive badges on the man's shoulder. She recognised one of the symbols - a black hawk surrounded by blue flames - as the prestigious Itazura family crest. The pampered-looking man had to be Akihito Itazura, one of the most influential figures in Hidden Stone politics. The Tsuchikage's puppet.

"You see that man over there, Hikari?" she asked. Hikari sat up on one knee and looked over to Akihito. He remembered him as one of the Tsuchikage's right-hand men and felt his body becoming heavy with dread. Owabi once helped him when some villagers attacked him, so he didn't have any malice or grudge against the Tsuchikage. In fact, he liked him. But hurting Akihito would be hurting Owabi, no doubt. Could he really do it?

"Yes, I know him. He's Itazura," Hikari replied. Suzuka quickly unsheathed her sword and dug it into the ground. Hikari saw how anticipated she was to do whatever she wanted to do and placed his hand over hers. Suzuka frowned lightly and looked into his ocean-blue eyes.

"Akihito Itazura's son nearly beat you to death a few years ago. I saw it," she whispered. Hikari looked at Akihito before looking back at his friend. She'd have no reason to lie, right? If his son really did that, it would explain her strong resolve. She cared far more about this than Hikari did, that's for sure.

"He really did? What'd he look like?" he asked.

"He was the one with that stupid green mohawk and black hawk earrings. Remember?"

Hikari immediately shuddered as the description forced him to relive the savage beating. The peculiar-looking young man had grabbed him by the throat, threw him through a local blacksmith's window, and beat down on him until he passed out. Come to think of it, he remembered the large Itazura piecing under his nose more easily than his bizarre appearance. The boy let out a long sigh before unsheathing his own sword.

"Let's just get this over with."

They quickly emerged from behind the building and ran towards Akihito. The woman next to him, presumably his wife, rose her eyebrows at the small figures approaching them. Already dismissing them as children playing some kind of game. Big mistake. Suzuka harshly bought the grip of her sword against the back of the woman's head, quickly knocking her out.

"What in the- what are you kids doing?!" Akihito yelled. He got down on his knees and shook the woman in an attempt to rouse her, crying out "Naora!" repeatedly. Suzuka gently trailed the blade against Akihito's back and slowly shook her head.

"Wow, she's really out of it. I'm alot stronger than I look, huh?" she giggled out.

"Please don't hurt me! What do you- do you want money? Please!" Akihito cried out. Hikari stared at the woman lying on the ground and only found out Suzuka was looking at him sternly when she tapped him on the leg with her sword.

"What do you wanna do with him?" she asked. Hikari tightened his grip on his sword and walked over to Akihito. He looked relatively relaxed, other than the sadistic smile spreading on his pale lips. He slammed his leg against Akihito's back to push him on his stomach, then quickly brought his foot against the man's head. Over and over. By the time he was even remotely satisfied, the green-haired official had a puddle of blood forming under his head. The injuries didn't appear to be at all fatal. Hikari rose his blade and shoved it deep into the older man's waist. Arguably fatal. The cut made Akihito cry out faintly, to which both of the children laughed at. Then the blonde boy swiftly rose his blade once again and instead pierced Akihito's head with it. Definitely fatal.

"Oh my God," Suzuka whispered to herself. She slapped her palm over her mouth to prevent the contents in her mouth from spilling out. She didn't expect either of them to take any lives, but there her friend stood still, his hands still tightly holding onto the grip of the sword. Remaining quiet. Disturbingly quiet for an eleven-year-old who just committed murder.

Suzuka, now in tears, placed her hand on Hikari's shoulder and urged that they had to leave before anyone caught them. So they dragged the two bodies behind the building they previously lurked, used basic water ninjutsu to wash away Akihito's blood on the ground, disposed of their robes, and walked back home as if nothing happened. Except that when Hikari closed the front door, Suzuka shoved her face into a mint-coloured pillow and screamed hard. The blonde boy tossed the swords into a closet then sat next to her, rubbing her back slowly. The once timid child prone to cowering at the world's evils died, possibly in a more gruesome manner than Akihito.

"That woman will tell officers we did it," Hikari told her gently. Suzuka rose her head and looked into his void eyes. How could it be that the dynamics of their relationship shifted so easily? She was the one who usually called the shots, but now Hikari was leaving the house, having explained that he was going to kill the woman and dispose of the bodies. Suzuka took a moment before going after him. She was still determined to be at her friend's side, no matter what darkness awaited them.

Luckily for them, it appeared that nobody crossed Sabishi Street, or at least behind the building where they dragged the bodies. Suzuka stayed at the corner to keep watch while Hikari approached the building with a kunai at his side. When he turned to catch a glimpse of the sight, he gasped out lightly. The woman was immobile, likely struck with a terrible concussion, weakly sobbing as her head rested on Akihito's non-rising chest. Just one quick slash to the neck and her misery was over. Now he had to get rid of the bodies. His plans on how to execute this were halted by Suzuka's voice.

"Hikari!" she shakily cried out. Hikari immediately turned around to look at a silver blade pointed at his face. Multiple shinobi dressed in navy blue uniforms quickly appeared out of nowhere and pointed their weapons at him.

"Do _not_ move!" the officer in front of him yelled. Hikari looked over to Suzuka, who was now being pushed to the ground by multiple officers. Hikari opened his mouth to yell out her name, but a large officer behind him jumped on his back and pushed him to the ground. The boy's head slammed against the pavement. Just like that, he was unconscious.

"...Believe two kids were responsible for this," a soft feminine voice said. Another voice was gruffer, masculine.

"...For execution tomorrow. Inform the Tsuchikage," it said. A third voice was another female's. Older than the first.

"...Suspects are Hikari Notori and Suzuka Yae.... eleven, both.... two counts of first-degree murder and..."

Hikari opened his eyes and looked at the chattering officers blankly. They ignored him for the most part, but the older female with spiky black hair and tired eyes shook her head at him. The boy pressed his hands against the metallic bars in front of him as tears stung his eyes. The officers grabbed multiple clipboards and hurried out of the room to answer a distress signal from the monitor on the large wooden desk.

"I hate all of this," Hikari said quietly. He sat against the wall and did his best to keep his crying unnoticeable. Now that he and Suzuka were apparently being executed some time tomorrow, he had all the time in the world to reflect on his decisions. He, the only son of impoverished Ritsuko and Toru Hikari, was already going down as the Hidden Stone's most famous traitor. Now he'll be its most famous murderer. At only eleven years of age. And certainly as anyone could tell, being famous wasn't everything it cracked up to be.

"Yae has escaped! Return to Notori's cell at once! The prison is on lockdown!" an angry voice yelled through a small radio on the desk in front of his holding cell. Hikari's eyes widened with happiness but soon went down at the realisation that the girl would be killed as soon as she's caught anyway. He sighed and once again touched the cold bars.

"You need to make a decision," a familiar voice said behind him. Hikari quickly turned around to be looking at Gyatsō, who somehow made it into the prison unnoticed. The man with long white hair knelt in front of Hikari and looked into his moist eyes.

"Either stay here and die or come with me to my Hidden Dark Nation and serve me. You'll get your revenge on the Hidden Stone through my plan," he said. The offer was obviously the only option to preserve Hikari's life, but without Suzuka, it would be a meaningless one. Unlike the last time they met, Hikari responded without hesitance.

"I'll come with you if you save Suzuka," the boy told him. Gyatsō smiled at him widely and touched his shoulder. He then performed a single hand sign with his free hand.

"That has already been taken care of. How else do you think she escaped?"

The both of them had just vanished from thin air when the officers came rushing back into the room.


	52. The Mouths of Traitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gyatsō saves Hikari from his impending execution and brings him to the Hidden Dark Village.

An unusual, small, and dank room kindled by several candles, their flames consisting of blues, yellows, and reds. Each of the four tiny windows covered by square-shaped cloths with unfamiliar insignias in the centres. Various ninja tools, weapons, and equipment optimised for combat attached to wooden cases on the black wall. A portrait of Gyatsō hanging on the opposite wall. These were what caught Hikari's eye in this new environment that the white-haired male brought him to. But as he cautiously looked around, he failed to pick up the smell of vanilla perfume or a loose strand of red hair, or _any_ sign that his best friend was brought here as Gyatsō had promised. He turned to the man still grasping his shoulder.

"Where's Suzuka?" he asked him dejectedly. Gyatsō walked to the cluttered desk in the back of the room and pressed a button on the wall. He then moved his head to a rusted speaker implanted in the wall and spoke into it. Announcing their arrival to some place known as the Hidden Dark's capital to a calm feminine voice on the other side of the speaker. Was he thinking about far more important matters to notice the boy's question, or was he just outright ignoring him? If Gyatsō lied just to bring him here, Suzuka would still be in the Hidden Stone, hunted by the village's best tracker ninjas. She could be captured and executed at any minute. Hikari quickly walked up to Gyatsō and roughly pulled on the back of the man's untucked white shirt.

"Take me back to the village!" he said angrily. Gyatsō barely turned his head to look at the boy, as he was still answering the various questions coming from the speaker. Was Suzuka's safety that unimportant to him? Hikari wouldn't hesitate to show him that he wasn't an ignorant and callow child. He already killed two people. Surely Gyatsō would never take him back to the Stone, so he could easily kill himself with one of those dangerous-looking weapons on the wall. Maybe even kill Gyatsō beforehand, since he lied to his face.

"The girl's at the hospital," Gyatsō said fervently. Maybe he didn't lie.

"She is? Can you take me to her?" Hikari asked. Gyatsō shooed him away with his left hand, as his right was quickly jotting down words on a piece of yellow paper. Since he was solely paying attention to his conversation with whoever was talking in the speaker, the blonde boy hurriedly walked out of the door and studied his surroundings.

The boy was standing in a long hallway crowded by people he never saw before. They must've been members of this Hidden Dark Nation, as the insignia on the flags in that musty room were embedded in their forehead protectors. Meaning all of these people were actually shinobi. Hikari didn't know about the other Hidden Villages that much, but he knew that the Five Great Nations only comprised of the Leaf, Mist, Sand, Cloud, and Stone. These Hidden Dark shinobi could only be defectors from the Great Nations then. As Hikari wandered the hall, he wondered why so many people would pledge loyalty to Gyatsō. Including himself, although admittedly only due to a lack of alternatives. Then he remembered there was no other place he'd be accepted. He was just an eleven-year-old murderer, without a family now. Like Suzuka, perhaps this Gyatsō Mataba came into his life when he needed someone like him the most.

"You lost, buddy?" a deep voice asked above him. Hikari had been too caught up in his thoughts to realise he caught the attention of a tall, muscular man with brown hair extending to his back. He wondered which Hidden Village the buff ninja originated from and why he ultimately defected from it.

"Yes, I'm trying to find the hospital," Hikari replied. The man pointed behind Hikari, to a small illuminated sign hanging on the ceiling. Labelled with a first aid symbol and arrow. How could he have missed that? Hikari thanked the man and followed the sign until he was outside of the building. A few other people were headed to the hospital, so he decided to just follow them to make it easier for himself. Sparing himself any further queries on who came from where and why. Maybe Gyatsō was inputting his own coming to the Dark in some database earlier. It would simply say that Hikari Notori of the Hidden Stone Village has emigrated to the Hidden Dark Nation because his execution was to take place the day after. Not that his connection with Orochimaru caused the villagers to despise him for all he was worth... unless Mataba had access to that information, too.

Still donning his tattered grey prison garments, the blonde boy walked into the hospital and was immediately repulsed by his findings. An uncountable amount of the ailed and dying were sprawled all over the cold floor, dismissed by the clearly overworked doctors for having injuries that would inevitably claim their lives. Ghastly red-orange men and women with severe burn marks engulfing their bodies whole, limbless children, infants even, crying and moaning out in pain, death looming around the corner in anticipation. This time, Hikari was utterly relieved not to find Suzuka among them, for that would mean she was critically wounded after the peace officers knocked him unconscious. Either that or the tracker ninjas had already done a number on her when Gyatsō luckily intervened. Another possible reason to wholeheartedly swear loyalty to the man.

If his efforts to find his friend were not stopped by the sight of a small bald boy crawling up to his legs, gasping for the tiny amount of oxygen in his lungs, then collapsing to the floor dead, nothing else on the planet could. He took in a deep breath and shook the motionless hand off his foot, then made his way to the exhausted receptionist donning a face mask. Even though a majority of the dying lot weren't suffering from any contagious diseases, the elderly orange-haired woman surely wasn't taking any chances. She blinked slowly, completely inattentive to the boy in front of her. Hikari impatiently pressed his index finger against the bell on the table. The little ring that followed was barely enough to rouse the old woman. As if she didn't even see him, she moved her head upwards for a split second before shifting it back down.

"Hello, miss?" said Hikari. The receptionist lifted her wrinkled eyebrows to look at the boy with her dull green eyes. The gloomy expression she then gave was so easy to read that a child like him was immediately able to understand her thoughts. _No, I can't help you, _her face read. _Just lay on the floor, die like the rest._

"I'm looking for a friend of mine," he continued, attempting to dissuade the elderly woman from brushing him off as yet another patient out of reach, another patient awaiting death. Whether it was due to the raucous cries of the moribund sufferers or the possibility that the old woman's ears were failing her, it seemed that she didn't hear the boy. Still assuming her hunched posture, those dead eyes hardly focusing on his youthful hues. Then, almost as if she was struck by a lightning bolt, the receptionist snapped upwards and flashed the boy with a hearty smile. Exposing teeth that were obviously dentures, as the white things were starting to peel off her gumline. 

"Youngins like ya die so early," she said with an uncomfortably cheerful voice, albeit very hoarse. "Breaks ma heart every time. Now whatcha say, boy? Can't barely hear nothin'," she explained.

"My friend. Gyatsō Mataba said she was brought here?" said Hikari. The woman frowned at his words and shook her head dismissively. 

"I don't sell no medicinal herbs here boy! Ya gotta go to that ol' gal.. what's her name now? Lemme look here," she said. She moved her tiny frail hands through the mess of papers on her desk, eventually pulling out a tiny slip of paper littered with illegible words and letters. Squinting hard and rotating the paper who knows how many times. Something clearly coming to her, as she was opening her mouth to speak again.

"The uh.. herb girl, her name's Koharu. She's that-a-way," the receptionist mumbled, pointing to a door near the back of the waiting area. Hikari looked at the door sceptically before looking back at the receptionist, who had returned to her strange huddled position in front of her table. Being surrounded by people who cried out nonsensical gibberish seemed to have affected her in more ways than one. The boy concluded that the old woman was going to be absolutely no help to him in her senile state, but he decided to follow up on her directions and headed for the door. Quickly opening it and nearly jumping past it in an effort to hopefully rid himself of all those terrible noises. Slamming his back against it to close it as fast as possible.

"What on earth kind of place is this?!" he said, frustrated. So far, his venture into the Hidden Dark Nation introduced him to its mysterious (and arguably neglective) leader, dying men, women, and children, and a decrepit old woman who was about as useful as a pet rock. And now he came face-to-face with a long, empty white hallway leading to many other hallways at every corner. Every room at the end of each corner was narrow, confined. They also had a dead patient lying in a bed. What a waste. Gyatsō _had _to know what was going on in his village. All of this mess was added to the list of reasons why Hikari debated killing him then fleeing the village with Suzuka. To take refuge in one of the Hidden Villages in exchange for information regarding the Stone. He could relish in the idea even more so if not for his growing hunger, exhaustion, and overall dispirited mood. Just one more look into one of the foul-smelling rooms was all it took for the boy to collapse on his way to the next.

_I swear I'll find you, Gyatsō __Mataba__... and I'll kill you,_ he thought as he backed his body into the wall. Thankfully, the patients who somehow remained alive weren't screaming in pain or fumbling around in their beds. Likely due to anaesthetics, the dying people here remained remarkably quiet. So quiet that he could hear the gentle snoring of whoever was in the room next to him. Hikari recognised the faint noise as the one he grew fond of when he heard it two years ago. When he and his best friend were sleeping in that dark alley.

_Is that really her?_

It took everything in Hikari for him to rise to his feet. He pressed his hands against the wall to support his body, as nothing else was there for him to use. Then he'd take a step towards the half-opened door. Slow and wobbly steps turning into more focused ones. Fatigue converting into energy. Discontent fading away until only conviction remained. All of these and more consumed the boy's drive, the effects growing and growing the closer he got to that room. He finally stumbled into its chilly atmosphere and fell onto his stomach. So much for energy. The little he had left was fortunately enough for him to lift his head and look at the resting girl on the bed. Suzuka really was a peaceful sleeper.

Has anything changed at all since that day? Hikari was watching his friend sleep contently, still unbeknownst to her. However, in this case, the constant threat of being pursued by livid villagers was rendered nonexistent in the Hidden Dark. The girl's past warmth on his shoulder was replaced by an inescapable coldness that lured him into another unconscious mode of being. Rather than worrying over this, he cherished the tiny-turned-enormous amount of happiness that had engulfed his body. Then he compared it to Suzuka's warmth - immediately denouncing it as inferior. The sight of his friend slowly distorted into a world of pitch black, until even her gentle breathing went unheard.

Two faceless figures materialised in front of the child, who was shackled from head to toe, completely immobile. At the full mercy of their whims, whatever the two things were. At first, they appeared to just silently observe Hikari, refusing to press their sharp claws against his red skin and severe burn marks. Circling around him like he was the greatest spectacle they ever laid their nonexistent eyes on. The tallest of the two figures grew two small eyes, both of which were bleeding rapidly. Then it grew a large mouth that drooped at its sides. Opening it as wide as the creature could to let out a powerful, ear-shattering scream.

The force of its terrible shriek was so mighty that the boy's hair was literally torn off his head and flew into the depths of the darkness surrounding them. In his charred and bald state, he closely resembled the young boy who crawled up to him and died earlier. Hikari shot his own bleeding eyes open and screamed with the deafening beast in unison. The chains around his body constricted him even more, making his screams harsher, louder. Then even more. As soon as his tune of absolute misery outmatched the beast's, a copious amount of water suddenly splashed against his face. The boy's eyes quickly opened again but without the presence of blood this time. They were stinging though, so chlorine might've been in that water.

"Oh good, you're finally awake," Suzuka said above him. Hikari wiped his eyes with the bottom of his green undershirt and sat up straight. He was still sitting where he passed out, next to Suzuka's bed. The girl had roused him with a bucket of water she found in a nearby closet.

"How long was I out for?" Hikari asked. Suzuka looked over to the large red clock on her wall.

"My doctor told me the surveillance cameras caught you coming here at around one-thirty, and it's three now," she replied. Hikari dried off his face with the patches of dryness on his shirt and painstakingly rose to his feet. Just to think he and Suzuka were apprehended by the Stone not even three hours ago. At no later than six in the morning, they would have been executed in the village's square. Gyatsō definitely helped them back there, but now it was time to book it.

"We have to get out of here," Hikari whispered. Suzuka tied her red locks into a messy ponytail and looked into his blue eyes nonchalantly. Hikari suspected she failed to catch wind of his underlying plans, as the girl jumped onto her bed and kicked her feet carelessly.

"Don't need to. Mr. Gyatsō said that we can stay in the hospital until our quarters are ready," she replied. Hikari impatiently grabbed her feet, stopping them, before sitting next to her. Giving her an intense look that made her slightly uncomfortable.

"No, you didn't understand what I meant," he whispered, "so let me put this in a different way." Suzuka took a moment to slowly nod her head for him to continue.

"There's something really fishy about Gyatsō. I mean, did you _see _how unorganised his hospital is? He's letting his own people die like garbage here!" he said. Suzuka pouted at his description of the Dark's leader and sat upright.

"What do you think we should do then? I don't think you're being really fair," the red-haired girl replied.

"I say we sneak out of here and go somewhere safe like the Hidden Leaf. It's better than blindly putting our faith in someone as shady as him. And what do you mean I'm being unfair?"

"Hikari, we don't have any other choice than to live here. If we leave, the Stone will easily track us down and kill us. Mr. Gyatsō saved us earlier, so we owe him enough to just do what he says," she said back. Hikari crossed his arms and looked away from his friend. Wasn't following her lead the reason everything happened like this anyway? He wouldn't have killed Akihito Itazura and his wife if he didn't listen to Suzuka.

"If Gyatsō made a promise with you, too, then remember it," she suddenly told him. Hikari stared at her quietly before lowering his head. A promise with Gyatsō? What the hell did Gyatsō ever promise him? The only times he ever paid attention to the boy was when he was trying to coerce him into joining the Hidden Dark. So Hikari tried to remember each brief conversation he had with the man to look for answers.

_"I know many things about you, Hikari Notori. You may not trust me yet, but in time, you will realise how much you actually need me."_ The first time Mataba talked to him was creepy indeed, but he never mentioned what the boy wanted most to begin with, let alone made a promise with him.

_"It's been a while since I last approached you, boy. Hopefully, you came to terms with the futility in your staying here. If you wait for too long, they'll eventually kill you. Before I take my leave, I want you to know there ARE places where you'd be accepted." _Yet again, no promises were made. Although, hearing that three and a half years ago did make Hikari question living in the Stone. He thought harder and harder until only one more conversation managed to cross his mind.

_"Either die in the Hidden Stone or come to my Hidden Dark Nation. You'll be able to get your revenge in my plan." _Bingo. That had to be it, right? It wasn't a direct promise, but it implied Hikari's ultimate goals were sure to come through in Gyatsō's plots. And he couldn't really remember anything else with the fogginess still in his head, so he didn't bother challenging it.

"Okay, Suzuka... okay. I guess I'll stay here and ride the wave with you," he said gently. The door to the cold room opened with a disturbing creak and made the two of them swing their heads around. The blue-haired man dressed in a white cloak's appearance was unannounced to them.

"Little Suzuka was right, you two don't have any other options," the man said sternly. He grabbed a clipboard and red pen from the tall metal desk in the corner and quickly walked to the girl with a friendly smile. Hikari could've sworn the man flashed him a hostile glare for a split second. He wondered if he heard his plan to flee the Hidden Dark earlier. Suzuka let out a sigh of relief and looked at the incoming man.

"You couldn't knock first, Doc? Scared the heck out of me," she said as she pressed her hand against her chest, her heart still racing. The doctor readjusted his tiny glasses and chuckled faintly. He turned his head to Hikari.

"We never met, have we, Hikari? I'm Doctor Odoroki. Your friend here has been appointed as my patient for the time being. It's nice to finally meet you!" he chimed, extending his hand to the uncomfortable blonde boy. Hikari reluctantly shook Odoroki's freezing hand and slowly looked over to Suzuka for help.

_Come on, Suzuka, tell this guy to bugger off..._

"I'm surprised you know his name," she said, clearly once again failing to catch Hikari's subtlety. The doctor chuckled again and tapped his pen against his clipboard.

"Oh, it'd be insulting _not_ to know him! Lord Yamikage wants to make him a member of the Hidden Dark Nation Council, and he's only eleven!" he said. The blue-haired doctor then brought his face closer to Hikari's, giving him another hard look. "That's why you can't leave, boy. You may not look like much, but there's.. _something _within you that only the Yamikage sees. Said you'll bring about a great future for our nation." So, Odoroki _was _eavesdropping after all. And the Yamikage must be Gyatsō. Surely he knew how foolish it was to want an inexperienced boy in an organisation that sounded as important as that. Regardless, Hikari couldn't sit there and be silent forever.

"Thank you...?" the boy eventually half-said half-asked. Odoroki kept staring at him for a few good seconds, then withdrew and turned his attention back to Suzuka.

"And _you_, young lady... congratulations! You haven't sustained aaaannyyy long-time injures! Those Hidden Stone peace officers roughed you up a little, but you'll be in perfect shape in no time." Suzuka twirled her red locks around her finger and looked at him in suspicion.

"In perfect shape for what?" she asked.

"Hikari isn't the only eleven-year-old that Lord Yamikage wants the nation to recognise. You'll be put through immense training so that you'll be able to lead our main battle regiment by the time you're sixteen," Odoroko replied. Suzuka sat up straight and rose her eyebrow.

"Why me, though? Before I came here, I was just a.. a baker's daughter! I didn't even graduate from the Ninja Academy yet!" she complained. 

"Yes, and the same goes for Hikari. But you managed to steal some swords and kill some people, right? If that doesn't show potential, I don't know what will. If you doubt your physical ability, the training provided will help with that. From what I've seen, you don't need more mental fortitude. Hikari was even bent on leaving... even though he would've undoubtedly failed, it's the thought that counts."

Suzuka buried her face in her hands and exhaled loudly. So many expectations and plans for a simple pair of kids. But as Odoroki explained, they weren't really normal kids to begin with... she was to be a gritty military commandant before she can even celebrate her sweet sixteen. And he was to be a member of the Council, its seats held by Gyatsō's closest and brightest advisers. Now a child would be among them? These high hopes for them made the two friends laugh at the same time. 

"I don't think Gyatsō would reveal all of that to just a regular doctor," said Hikari. He inspected Odoroki closely and scoffed at his feigned unimportance. There had to be something he was hiding from them, but what was it? He looked into the man's dark eyes."So, Doctor, who are you really?"

Odoroki stopped scribbling on his clipboard and rose his eyes to Hikari. There was something familiar about the way the doctor looked and talked, but there was no way in hell Hikari would be able to deduce it. In fact, Odoroki did it for him, without hesitance even. The boy widened his eyes at his words.

"I know a lot about you and the Dark because I was once a spy for the Hidden Stone," he had said. Hikari continued to stare into the man's now cold eyes. The constant shift between Odoroki's tones and personalities unnerved him even more. He must've known the boy's next question because he was talking again.

"I stayed here because our current ninja world took away my baby brother. Now why would I support a world like that, in the Stone? Lord Yamikage is building a better world for all of us."

_That's a much better reason to pledge allegiance to the Dark,_ Hikari thought._ At this rate, Suzuka and I are just being used as symbols to hype up Gyatsō's plans, whatever they are._

"I'm sorry to hear about your brother. Thank--" Hikari's words were cut off by a devastating explosion that sent a reverberating rumble through the entire area. Windows immediately cracking and covering the floors with glass. New screams of children and the elderly alike breaking through in and out of the hospital. Pitch black smoke quickly filling the skies until even the heavens were consumed. Loud sirens blaring in the background and steadily growing closer, along with quick footsteps. The door to their room was suddenly kicked open by a skinny masked ninja.

"Are they okay?" he shouted. Hikari sharply exhaled in pain and clutched his side. Something sharp was deeply embedded in it. He shot his eyes open only to see nothing but smoke. 

"Suzuka?!" he coughed out. Odoroki's strong arm wrapped around the boy's side, quickly lifting him up. Hikari was able to see another person in his other arm. Even though it was Suzuka, her now unconscious state only worried him even more. A second explosion came when the doctor took a step towards the masked shinobi.

"What's going on?!" Odoroki demanded, struggling to walk over the tiniest shards of wood and glass. 

"Lord Gyatsō believes Mizuto Junkyosha's forces are finally attacking the village! An emergency meeting has been called for the Council members, so I'm taking them both to the underground bunker," the masked ninja shouted back. Before Odoroki could respond, he grabbed the two wounded children, then performed three quick hand signs. A third explosion came as soon as they disappeared. 

"Get them medical aid!" Hikari heard a feminine voice say. The smoke that had filled the hospital definitely made it hard to see anything, but now all he had to worry about was the lack of light. It was hot and sticky wherever they were now. Occasional explosions above sent sheets of dirt falling to the large table in the metal room. 

"Ow!" Hikari whimpered as carefree hands prodded against the object in his side. Assessing how wide it was, as well as how deep it was cutting into his bruised flesh. Then the hands quickly dug into the wound and tore the whopping shard of glass out. The boy cried out some more and only began to subside when another pair of hands slapped a moist bandage of some sort over the wound to prevent further bleeding.

"It was only some glass. He should be fine," the feminine voice said. Hikari whimpered again and opened one of his eyes to look at the brunette medical expert. 

"See? All fine," she said. The woman then averted her attention to his unconscious friend. Slow footsteps made their way over to them, but Hikari couldn't turn his body to see who it was. The footsteps stopped when the person was standing above him.

"Mizuto Shi Junkyosha will pay in blood for what he did to my Instant Flash," Gyatsō's voice said lowly. The white-haired man then walked to the large table and sat in the circular seat in the middle of it. Several young men and women were already sitting around the table, whispering and chattering amongst themselves.Gyatsō's powerful voice killed the whispers immediately.

"I'm the one who called for this emergency meeting. My sources within the Hidden Leaf have informed me that the Junkyosha clan's leader has attacked the Hidden Dark Nation's capital. I'm taking that as a declaration of war. This is our best opportunity to expand our territory beyond the Land of Lightning," he said. Hikari lowered his eyes and held onto his hurting side again, wincing at the pain. If the capital was located in the Land of Lightning, then that means the Dark didn't own its own territory yet. A Council member with greasy dark hair covering his right eye spoke up.

"Yes, I agree. Mizuto Junkyosha and the Raikage have been in contact with each other, watching us closely. That much is true. Since they concluded we posed a threat to them both, I say the Raikage must have given Mizuto permission to attack us, as the Junkyosha clan aren't directly affiliated with neither Cloud nor Leaf. Therefore, neither village would have to take the blame if anything went wrong," he said. Most of the advisers pondered this for a while and nodded their heads. Gyatsō stroked his chin slowly and also nodded at the hunch.

"That's a great assertion, Jukichi. We can declare war on the Junkyosha clan without getting the Great Nations involved. As much as I'd like to destroy them now, we simply don't have enough military power to take even two Great Nations on. The Junkyosha should be seen as nothing more than mercenaries for now," he said.

_Junkyosha... Their home is in the Leaf. I can't believe I was actually debating fleeing there, _Hikari thought.

"There's one more thing," a female adviser with sloppy black hair said. Gyatsō looked over to her.

"It's clear that Mizuto and the Raikage know what our intentions are, but how is that so? All information regarding our main purpose has been kept completely secret from the public. We're the only ones who know it, so there has to be a traitor among us." The rest of the advisers inspected each other carefully, putting the pieces together and looking to see who would turn against them.

"Is anyone missing?" Gyatsō asked. He studied each Council member's face, including Hikari's, then looked over to the empty seat at the end of the table. He stared at the wooden chair before placing his other hand over his chin, letting out an extended sigh. He couldn't believe nobody noticed this until now.

"Damnit... the only Council member absent is Uragiru Tanaka," he somehow said calmly, as multiple veins were starting to show up in his neck and forehead. The female adviser with black hair sat up in her chair and looked over to the vacant spot, looking confused.

"Uragiru Tanaka... shit, there's too many names stuck in my head right now. Who was that man again?" she asked.

"He's our only Hidden Leaf refugee... it's all starting to make sense," an elderly man with bushy white eyebrows said. "That young lad with the long brown hair. You know, with the muscles," he added. Hikari gasped out lightly and shut his eyes. Too late. Even in darkness, he couldn't shake off the face of the man who directed him to the hospital earlier... nothing about the guy rubbed him the wrong way, now he was apparently a traitor. And Hikari was possibly the last person who saw Uragiru. Gyatsō's shouts forced Hikari to open his eyes.

"That incorrigible piece of dog shit! I fed that traitor's mouth, and _this _is how he repays me... after we wipe the Junkyosha from the face of the earth, I want a squad assembled to find him. Bring him back to me, and I'll show him what I do to traitors!" he shouted.

"Lord Yamikage, you shouldn't worry too much about Uragiru right now. He's surely heavily protected since he has a lot of classified information about us. It's a lost cause chasing after him," the old man said. Another adviser with violet hair and pink eyeliner nodded at him.

"I agree with Ukyo. The Junkyosha could be sending another attack any second now. And we don't know if they're preparing an invasion yet," she said. Gyatsō scoffed and rose out of his chair, walking around the table intently. Once again studying the various faces of his Council. Then looking over to Hikari and Suzuka, a new slight smirk appearing on his lips.

"Get those two prepared for battle," he said loudly enough for Hikari to hear him. The boy slowly moved his head so that he could look into the leader's eyes with concern. His ears were still ringing from the earlier explosion, but he knew he heard him right. What about the intense training Suzuka was supposed to go through? He couldn't possibly think a little girl - who wasn't even conscious at this moment - could hold up against the notorious trigger-happy Junkyosha clan. Jukichi thankfully voiced his thoughts.

"But they're injured, sir. Besides, why would we let two children fight in a war? We have hundreds of able shinobi at our disposal," he said. His argument was supported by half his team. The other half was yelling that most of their shinobi had to be injured by the bombings.

"I didn't say prepare them for _combat,_" Gyatsō said impatiently. "I have new equipment that I'd like to test for later on. At the same time, this is how the Hidden Dark Nation will acknowledge Hikari Notori and Suzuka Yae. Once word of their bravery reaches the Hidden Leaf and Stone, others may opt for the Hidden Dark. 

So Hikari was right about them being used as symbols. If two kids can leave their village and join the Dark to fight for a new world, then anyone can. He was just hoping this new equipment would help prevent him and his friend from dying as soon as they joined the battlefield. Hikari looked over to Suzuka and weakly brushed his hand against her cheek. The pain drove him to tears immediately, but it was definitely worth it.

_If we survive this mess, Gyatsō could be more motivated to make good on his promises to us. I wonder what he promised you, Suzuka... _He stared at his friend's pale face before it was illuminated by a bright red light, flashing throughout the entire room. An alarm identical to the last one rung loudly. A message appeared on the giant monitor behind the table. Hikari turned on his back with great struggle and squinted a bit to refocus his vision on the screen. He was barely able to make out the bright letters:

**"EMERGENCY - A 5KT NUCLEAR WEAPON HAS JUST BEEN DETECTED AND IS TARGETING THE CAPITAL'S BUNKER - ARRIVAL IN APPROXIMATELY THIRTY SECONDS."**


	53. A Blood Entailed Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hikari continues to recollect his past with Suzuka until a certain event pushes him over the edge in his fight against Killer Bee.

Everything happened so suddenly and so very frantically that it was nearly impossible to believe so much was completed in just less than thirty seconds. The large computerised warning that a nuclear weapon was on its way somehow didn't even manage to take the Council by surprise. A few members like Ukyo, Jukuchi, and Gyatsō immediately rose out of their seats and made their way to an area in a corner of the room, swiftly tapping away at several white keyboards attached to the walls. The rest of the Council members followed behind them.

"Lord Yamikage, I'm preparing to launch Evacuation Protocol F," said Ukyo. Several large rusted pods covered with various letters then slid through a new opening in the wall. The masked shinobi from earlier ran over to Hikari and Suzuka and carefully picked them up again. Gyatsō turned his head to look at the two injured children as he continued to quickly press the designated keys and symbols.

"Kokyu, place those two in Pod XY. That one will take them to a safer bunker outside of the village," Gyatsō told him. Kokyu nodded at the white-haired man and dashed towards the smaller pod at the end of the metallic encasements, simply marked "XY" in white letters. As soon as the masked ninja stepped into the pod, Hikari abruptly slapped his palm over his nose. Granted, the movement forced a sharp grunt through his teeth, but the pain was worth it. The inside of the pod had an overwhelmingly acrid odour to it, making the boy question how often these things were supposed to be cleaned. On the outside, each pod looked awful - corroded, and shabby. But the inside turned out to be even worse. That dastardly smell alone was more than enough to send Hikari packing, and the forests of reeking cobwebs littering the floor and seats almost made him throw up his scanty stomach contents.

"Aren't there any better than this one?" Hikari whined. He looked over to his inert friend. Oh, how lucky he'd be to get suddenly knocked out by a piece of the falling cement or wood right now. At least Suzuka didn't have to be subjected to this wretched smell or those unappealing seats, all but mummified by the old cobwebs.

"Sorry little guy, but you'll just have to bear with it," Kokyu replied. He stuffed the two of them in the cramped chairs provided. Pulling what appeared to be a seatbelt of some sort over their bodies. Double-checking that they were properly secured because only God knew what would happen to him if Gyatsō's prized possessions were injured due to his carelessness. 

"Can't go against Lord Yamikage's orders. Also, we can't waste _any _time right now." With that, the ninja closed a door Hikari didn't notice before and took a few steps back. The once dead lights spreading along XY in varying directions then lit up, providing an ample light source in the otherwise shadowy area. Dark smoke also began to gradually emit from the several chrome bars that were underneath the pod.

_This is crazy, _Hikari thought as he lifted his head to peer through the squared glass. _Absolutely crazy._ Mostly all he could see was only heavy amounts of dust. That is, until a pale hand suddenly pressed against it, causing the boy to immediately jerk backwards. A split second later, he was looking into one of Gyatsō's intense eyes. 

"You and the girl will be safe," Hikari heard Gyatsō's muffled voice say through the glass. The words were meant to reassure and calm the boy, but they somehow achieved the opposite effect. Before he could give the man a hesitant reply, the pod was suddenly launched forward with great velocity, shooting its two passengers through a variety of hollow tubes stretching for miles long. To Hikari, the fast-paced experience was comparable to an exhilarating roller coaster. Only their vessel was now heading further underground, where its pitch black darkness only unnerved him even more. He reached his arms over and held onto Suzuka tightly, shutting his eyes tight as they journeyed through the pitch-black environment. They really had no other choice.

Gyatsō watched their pod grow smaller and smaller for a couple of moments before turning around to eye his composed underlings. In the larger pods marked as "KT," "OA," and "ES" respectively, up to four Council members were strapping themselves in each case. The Yamikage's red eyes then locked onto Kokyu, who was now standing in the middle of the room, motionless. It appeared that he had no intention of fleeing to any of the crowded pods.

"Kokyu Notatakai, you will go to Z. You and I are taking a trip to the village's arms complex," Gyatsō said. Kokyu bowed his head and quickly made his way to the last remaining pod, separated from the rest. Gyatsō turned his head to look at the 20-second warning displayed on the screen before joining him. In less than ten seconds, each of the pods emitted dark smoke before being launched in varying directions.

Hikari suddenly opened his eyes to the sound of a devastating explosion far behind their current location. 

_That must have been that nuclear attack we were warned of,_ he thought. For a few seconds, his thoughts drifted to the Hidden Dark villagers and anyone else who didn't have any form of protection against the bomb. Although it was specifically aimed for the underground bunker Gyatsō and his Council members were grouped up in, the nature of that bomb certainly must have caused some damage far above, to unsuspecting citizens. And _that _was excluding the radiation that would wipe everyone out regardless. Hikari gasped at this realisation.

"Was the Hidden Dark Village... just destroyed?" he whispered. He felt tears forming in his eyes the longer he thought about it. If their new home was destroyed, where in the world would he and Suzuka go? Instead of worrying about that, he decided to just wait everything out. He slowly closed his eyes, holding onto his unconscious friend closer.

A silent hour passed. Hikari, nearly asleep, found himself to be twitching as a new source of light began to shine against his face. With slight difficulty, he pulled himself up to look outside of the pod's glass window. He could see that they were approaching a large opening in a metallic building. The boy sighs with relief and lays back, placing an arm around Suzuka's neck.

"We're finally here, Suzu... wherever _here_ is," he says gently.

The redheaded girl slowly opened her eyes, much to Hikari's shock. Using her left hand, she parted the hair in her eyes and looked up to her exasperated-looking friend.

"Suzuka!" Hikari cried. "How long have you been up for?" Suzuka smiled weakly as she also looked out of the window.

"I dunno," she replied simply. "M-my head hurts.. and I'm so tired... what happened? Where are we?" she asked, her voice sounding hoarse and weak.

"A group of ninja from the Junkyosha Clan attacked the village. Gyatsō said we're going to a safer bunker for now. We can try and get you looked at by a doctor there," Hikari told her. Suzuka nodded and slowly leaned down so that her head was placed against Hikari's chest. She yawned slightly and reached for the boy's freezing hand.

"Hikari?" she whispered lightly. Hikari took her hand in his and smiled more. Without a doubt, he'd be able to calm down in this dire situation as long as he had his best friend at his side.

"Yeah?" he whispered back. The loud wind outside of the pod made it difficult to hear her. Suzuka nestled closer to her blonde friend, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks.

"I love you," she said even quieter. Hikari squints at her a bit before moving his head down closer to her. To him, it sounded like she hummed for a second instead of saying anything. The wind wasn't making it any easier for him, either.

"What'd you say, Suzuka? I couldn't hear you."

"...I said, can you promise me something?" the girl asked weakly. 

"Sure," was Hikari's immediate response. Suzuka yawned again and slowly fluttered her eyes closed. 

"Promise me that no matter what happens... you'll never let me die..."

"Suzu, I never thought I'd have to promise you _that._ There's no way I'd ever let you leave m-"

"Just promise me," Suzuka interrupted, a pout forming on her face. Hikari stared at her for a couple of seconds before chuckling lightly.

"Okay, I promise. But what about you? You'll always be here to protect me, right?" Hikari asked, still smiling. "...Suzuka?"

His response was the sound of her gentle snoring. Hikari sweatdropped at the now sleeping girl, before chuckling to himself and leaning back again, quietly waiting for their pod to stop moving. Pod XY halted after about ten more minutes before it was surrounded by a swarm of people donned in black cloaks, murmuring things he couldn't understand in the slightest. When the door to their pod slowly opened, he was already fast asleep.

. . . .

"Tailed Beast Lariat!" Killer Bee shouted, snapping Hikari out of his deep recollections. The blonde-haired shinobi lifted his head to see the Raikage back in his Version 2 state, quickly rushing towards the Osore member. By the time Hikari got back to his feet, the transformed Bee was already in front of him, swinging a powerful arm towards the blonde man's stomach. Hikari was able to perform a single hand seal before being struck viciously. On impact, he widened his eyes and coughed out a large amount of blood, his body flying back from the force of the blow.

"Urgh!" the Osore member grunted as he slammed against the ground. He rolled around quickly before slamming into a large boulder. A cloud of dust soon surrounded his body. Bee remained still for a few seconds before jumping high into the air, extending his arm to prepare for another Lariat attack.

_ Somehow, it looks like I _only _damaged some ribs and a few non-vital organs with that one,_ Bee thought as he descended towards Hikari, lightning beginning to spark around his crimson chakra-coated arm. In less than three seconds, his entire arm was covered in raging lightning, crackling intensely as he drew closer and closer to his opponent. _This one will be the killer blow._

When the Raikage was just a few feet away from Hikari, he roared and brought his arm down towards the man's neck. However, the Jinchuriki found himself to be levitating just above him, some sort of invisible barrier preventing him from getting any closer. As the dust around them settled, Hikari looked up at Bee with a smirk pursed on his lips. He then looked down to his left hand pressed against the open wound in his stomach, a faint blue aura emitting from it. 

"I would've been dead had it not been for this Supido style Hogo," he said wryly, clutching his stomach tighter. Bee could see that the blue aura had enveloped his body and materialised into something as hard as steel, acting as a protective shield. Even with this last act of defence, Bee found that he was still able to injure Hikari to this extent.

_ So this.. _ability _of his reduced the damage of my Tailed Beast Lariat. Alright, fine, that stopped my attack from killing the bastard,_ Bee thought furiously. He then gritted his teeth and tried to move his body, but to no avail. He was stuck suspended in the air, leaving him extremely vulnerable. _But that doesn't explain this sensation keeping me from moving, though!  
_

Hikari groaned in immense pain as he slowly sat up, still coughing out heavy amounts of blood. He wiped his mouth with his bare arm before crawling away from the Raikage until they were over about two kilometres apart. The blonde shinobi then cautiously got back on his feet, chuckling weakly as he looked ahead.

"Y-you cut through the Hogo like a knife through b-butter," he said quietly, once again wiping away blood dripping down his chin. "But my Supido Mahi-ōra has won me t-this fight... I won't take long, Lord Gyatsō..."

Slowly removing his shaky left hand from his wound, the Osore member performed a few hand seals. 

"H-here is your parting gift, Raikage... my glorious Nendo: Shokan!" he shouted hoarsely. A small white wall then rose out of the ground in front of him. It slowly changed in shape and size, morphing into a large bird made entirely out of detonating clay. The bird screeched loudly as it flapped its wings furiously, before taking into the sky and racing towards Bee.

"My Shokan's d-destructive power exceeds even Brother Deidara's C2 Dragon," Hikari sneered weakly, panting lightly as he rose his head again. "You haven't got a chance in hell of s-surviving... _we _own this world now..."

The blonde shinobi watched on as a blinding white flash suddenly engulfed the area, a catastrophic explosion going off ahead. He widened his eyes at the sight of the explosion, his mouth now suddenly agape.

. . . .

"Get down, Hikari!" Suzuka shouted, standing next to the blonde male. The two of them, clad in torn black cloaks with the Hidden Dark Nation's insignia planted on their sleeves, quickly dropped down to the ground. A split second later, an explosion went off in front of them, sending debris and shrapnel flying in all directions. Hikari gritted his teeth as he put his arms over his head to protect himself from the sharp objects raining over them.

"Is everyone alright?!" another voice frantically shouted behind them. 

"I'm fine!" Suzuka immediately replied, unable to see anything due to the smoke created by that last attack. "What about you, Hikari?!"

Hikari grunted and quickly jumped to his feet, picking his two kunai knives up and returning to his defencive stance.

"I'm good, too!" he replied. He then turned his head to try and look for his comrade, but the smoke was still too thick to see anything in front of behind him. 

"What the hell _was _that anyway?!" Hikari asked loudly. A shirtless man with long, pale green hair appeared at his side, breathing heavily. Parts of his skin was severely burnt, and a line of blood was quickly running down his forehead. Hikari widened his eyes and touched the man's shoulder.

"Koibito! You're in no shape to continue fighting!" Hikari told him urgently, concern clearly showing in his eyes. Koibito shrugged the young man's hand off his shoulder, looking ahead intently.

"D-don't worry about me, sir. Please, just focus. Our opponent is the leader of the Junkyosha Clan, Mizuto Shi Junkyosha. H-he is a fearsome shinobi, you mustn't let yourself be distracted," Koibito warned Hikari lowly. Hikari stared at Koibito for a few seconds before scoffing, looking ahead of him as well. 

The smoke finally cleared, revealing a fair-skinned man with spiky, black hair. His dark hair extended to his waist, with shoulder-length bangs framing the sides of his face, covering most of his right eye. He took a step forward, prompting Hikari, Suzuka, and Koibito to raise their weapons.

"For the sake of your pathetic little Hidden Dark Nation," Mizuto told them with a smooth and deep voice, "I hope that you three _brats_ aren't the only ones I have to battle. Children should be honing their skills in a Ninja Academy, not dying on a battlefield as cannon fodder," he sneered. Koibito chuckled as he performed a single hand seal, stepping in front of Hikari and Suzuka. Before either one could interject, he held his arm out towards them, wordlessly telling them not to interfere. 

"We may be only fourteen years of age," Koibito started, looking back at the two of them in the corner of his eyes, "but these two right here are especially meaningful shinobi, and we of the Dark are proud of them. They are strong because they have outstanding willpower." Mizuto crossed his arms and shook his head at the green-haired man's words.

"Strength is not willpower. Strength is an occurrence, and it can _only _be caused by physical things," Mizuto shot back, now rapidly performing hand seals. "I'll show you a demonstration, you sad, naïve child."

"Fire Style: Searing Migraine!" Mizuto shouted, breathing out a small fireball that shot towards Koibito and his allies. Mizuto smirked widely before throwing a kunai into the fireball, causing it to suddenly erupt into a giant fire-storm, sending widespread flames throughout the area. Koibito widened his eyes at the scale of the massive fire jutsu, performing five swift hand signs.

"Water Style: Water Wall!" 

Koibito spat out a large stream of water from his mouth at the ground, which circled the three Hidden Dark ninjas, quickly rising upward to create a wall. As soon as Mizuto's fire reached the protective wall of water, Koibito saw that it wasn't nearly enough to hold back the intense flames. The fire had just begun to rapidly spread across the water wall when Hikari performed a hand sign.

"Earth Style: Mobile Cole."

Suddenly, the ground in the surrounding area quickly shook and rose upwards, completely separating from the land that had been engulfed by the fire. Now safe from the intense flames, Koibito let out a sigh of relief and turned his head to look at Hikari.

"Good thinking, sir. Forgive me for the mediocrity of my jutsu just now, I'm almost completely out of chakra," he said, still breathing heavily.

"Then I'll give you some well-deserved rest," Mizuto said wryly, now behind Koibito and his allies. "Although, it'll be a permanent fix."

Koibito quickly whipped his body around in an attempt to slash Mizuto in the face with his kunai, but the dark-haired shinobi easily dashed to the side before reappearing in front of Koibito, directing a brutal kick to his stomach. Koibito exhaled out in pain, the force of Mizuto's attack sending his body flying off the elevated platform.

_He's so fast!_ Hikari thought as he quickly brought his arms to his chest, successfully blocking a chakra-infused punch from Mizuto.He then jumped back and spun around, throwing his leg towards the side of Mizuto's head. The Junkyosha clan leader scoffed and blocked the attack with his forearm, before bounding forward and jabbing his elbow into Hikari's face.

"Hikari!" Suzuka yelled worriedly, gritting her teeth as she dashed towards Mizuto. Slightly disoriented from Mizuto's blow, the blonde shinobi couldn't react fast enough to avoid another swift kick to his face, which launched him off the platform and sent him tumbling to the ground below.

"Let us dance, little girl," Mizuto said under his breath, slowly turning around to face the incoming kunoichi. Suzuka threw multiple shurikens at Mizuto, only for the man to deflect them all with a kunai Koibito had dropped. He then jumped back, reaching into his ninja tools pouch and throwing a barrage of his own kunai towards her. Suzuka widened her eyes as she moved every which way to evade them, but a majority of the blades still grazed her flesh as they whizzed past her.

"N-nice try, but not good enough!" Suzuka said with a wry grin. Still descending in the air, Mizuto smiled softly at the girl. He then appeared directly in front of her, grabbing her neck roughly and lifting her high. The redhead choked violently, finding it extremely difficult to breathe. She desperately scratched at the man's hand, but it did nothing to loosen his vicelike grip.

"Not good enough? Do you honestly believe I'm trying my hardest against a _child?_" he asked before suddenly looking to his left. A sizable water dragon had appeared and was rushing towards him. Mizuto released Suzuka and jumped up high to dodge it. However, the water dragon immediately corrected its trajectory and raced in the same direction, slamming into the black-haired male. On impact, Mizuto's body was engulfed by a small cloud, now appearing as a log.

"A substitution jutsu," Koibito growled, obviously irritated that his sneak attack had failed. Over the sound of his water splashing against the ground, he heard quick footsteps approaching him from behind. He suddenly gasped and turned around, but it was too late. A kunai knife was now lodged deep into his chest, his blood splattering on the ground. 

"I believe this belonged to you," Mizuto said. He looked down at the dying teenager with disgust, slowly releasing the kunai and letting Koibito drop down to the ground.

"You're far too inexperienced to be fighting me, boy," Mizuto told him blankly. He crouched down and looked into Koibito's half-lidded eyes. "But... _since _you're so young and inexperienced, I'll show you a bit of mercy." He placed his hands on either side of Koibito's head before violently wrenching them around, instantly breaking his neck. 

"Supido: Geirukatto!" Hikari suddenly yelled, now behind Mizuto. He pushed his left arm forward, sending a red wave of chakra propelling towards the older shinobi. Mizuto rose an eyebrow as he turned around the face the blonde.

_What is that?_ he thought. When the red wave touched him, his body was sent flying back at a great speed.

"Ugh!" Mizuto grunted as he continued flying back. He attempted to move his body to land on his feet, but a mysterious crimson aura that was now engulfing his body prevented him from even lifting a finger.

_What the hell kind of jutsu is this?! _he thought as he slammed into a tree hard, breaking through it easily.

"Earth Style: Stone Column Spears!" Hikari yelled, performing more hand signs. He was panting heavily, and his right eye was closed due to the damage it sustained from Mizuto's two strong hits. Even though he was also running low on chakra, he managed to manipulate the earth in front of him, changing it into multiple sharp spears. Then they shot towards Mizuto, aiming for his chest._  
_

_ He's using the normal Earth Style now, so it seems the Supido Style may not be a kekkei genkai of some sort. Oh well,_ Mizuto thought. A split second before the earth spears reached him, Hikari saw that the man's visible eye had flashed a bright purple. A strange, small dome of energy formed in front of his body, which absorbed the deadly earth spears with ease. Hikari gritted his teeth and watched Mizuto carefully.

_How did he... what _was _that?_ Hikari thought. Mizuto smirked at the blonde male, now walking towards him. _And why isn't my Geirurukatto binding him anymore?!_

"As much as I'd love to stay here and uncover the secret of this... Supido jutsu of yours," Mizuto started, throwing his fist towards Hikari's stomach, "I have more pressing matters to attend to now." Hikari jumped back to dodge the punch, no doubt doing his best to avoid engaging in taijutsu due to his limited vision and slower reflexes. Mizuto's purple eye flashed dangerously as he extended his hand. Hikari was suddenly pulled towards the shinobi, his eyes widened with shock.

"Universal Pull!" Mizuto yelled. Hikari stared into Mizuto's strange eye, noticing a ripple pattern spreading across his eyeball. When he was directly in front of the black-haired man, Mizuto grabbed his neck and slammed him into the ground hard. A burning pain seared into the blonde's neck, multiple red markings appearing and spreading across his skin. After a few seconds, the strange markings turned black.

"That should hold you nice and still," Mizuto said, crouching down next to Hikari. The blonde ninja gritted his teeth hard and looked at the man from the corner of his eye.

"How did you dispel _both _my Earth Style jutsu and my Supido?!" he demanded. Mizuto chuckled gently as he slowly rose back to his feet.

"I have no reason to tell you that," he replied. Hikari scoffed before closing his eye.

"Then just kill me," Hikari said bitterly. "Get it over with." 

Mizuto looked to his right, seeing that Suzuka was racing towards him with two chakra-infused kunai in her hands, an angry snarl on her face. He sighed irritably before turning to the side.

"I won't be killing you, Hidden Dark child. Or at least, not yet," Mizuto replied. "No, I'm sparing your life so that you may get older and stronger. Hone that Supido Style of yours, then face me in battle again," he said. Hikari opened his eye, looking up at Mizuto wordlessly. Was he really _that _interested in his Supido? He just easily killed Koibito in a matter of seconds, so he didn't expect the older male to regard him with any form of respect.

"But... the girl," Mizuto started, glaring into Hikari's eye coldly, "she arouses absolutely _no_ interest in me. She'll die here. And with her dying before your very eyes, I'll be teaching you a very important lesson." With that, he disappeared.

_Suzuka! No... NO!_

With great difficulty, Hikari forced his head upwards to look in front of him. He was granted with the sight of Mizuto evading Suzuka's kunai attacks with ease, before spinning around and knocking the weapons out of her hands with a single roundhouse kick. Before Suzuka could react, Mizuto swirled around to sweep her feet from under her, sending her crashing to the ground.

"_Stop_, you bastard! Leave her alone!" Hikari yelled at the top of his lungs, his body trembling heavily. Mizuto looked at him for a second and smirked, before picking up one of Suzuka's kunai and slashing the redheaded girl clean in the throat. He could see her blood spray in the air before pooling underneath her body. Hikari's eye narrowed as he stared at his redheaded best friend. He didn't even notice when Mizuto appeared back in front of him, fresh blood splattered across his battle-worn armour.

"Nowyou have a _definitive _reason to get stronger and pursue me," Mizuto told him, dropping the blood-stained kunai right in front of the boy's face. The knife made a light thunk as it stuck in the ground. Hikari slowly turned his head to look at Mizuto, tears streaming down his face.

"W-why did you.."

"The lesson to learn here is that there are certain faults in what we call the 'human condition.' Through this girl's blood, you can see that, can't you?"

The dark-haired shinobi crouched down again, lifting the trembling boy's chin with two fingers. Hikari's breathing became more and more erratic the longer he looked at Mizuto, who was still smiling down at him.

"As human beings, we're destined for growth, and through this growth, we overcome trauma, no matter how devastating it is," Mizuto muttered soothingly. He then grabbed Hikari's head and forced him to look at Suzuka's still body, the pool of blood having almost doubled in size now.

"Because we're simply human, there are just some things we can't overcome... you see, I never got over the many deaths of my clansmen over the years... and in _your_ case, you will _never_ overcome the pain that you feel from this girl's death," Mizuto whispered in his ear.

. . . .

_ "Hikari..."_

_ "Promise me that no matter what happens..."_

_ "You'll never let me die."_

Hikari screamed as loud as his lungs would allow, the blonde man tearing at his hair frantically. His eyes narrowed as tears streamed down his face, and he was beginning to hyperventilate. When the light from his explosion finally went away, he knelt to the ground, still breathing heavily. He sensed the slightest bit of movement ahead and snapped his head up.

Disregarding his injuries completely, he roared and jumped back up, running forwards with a maniacal cackle. He saw that Killer Bee was dusting himself off, somehow completely unharmed by Hikari's Shokan attack. The wound in the Osore member's stomach poured out more blood as he jumped towards the Raikage, a crazed look in his eye.

"What the hell's is this guy's _deal_?" Bee mumbled as he rose his arms protectively. Hikari landed a frenzy of punches against the Raikage's arm, completely unfazed at the fact that he wasn't landing any significant damage. A bright yellow aura engulfed his body, prompting Bee to jump back cautiously.

_I won't underestimate your jutsu this time,_ Bee thought as he kept dashing backwards. Hikari let out another roar as he propelled his body forward, like a missile. He barely missed Bee, who had used one of his chakra tails to latch onto a tree branch and swing away from where he'd been standing. Hikari crashed into the ground, and due to the speed at which he landed, was sent burrowing into the earth.

Bee hardly had a second to turn around before his assailant emerged from the large hole in the ground, lashing out at the Raikage with another barrage of attacks. The blonde ninja winced lightly at the burning pain now spreading through his arms. Bee's Version 2 Tailed Beast chakra was reminiscent of a flame, and touching it directly was more painful for Hikari than it was for Bee. With the Raikage's entire body coated in the searing chakra, the Osore member couldn't deal any damage without hurting himself. 

"What's wrong, huh?" Bee said with a smirk. Hikari gritted his teeth and took a quick look at his burnt hands and arms, the once pale flesh now bright red, swollen, and covered with painful blisters. Hikari's let his shaky arms slowly fall to his side, finding it extremely difficult to move them otherwise. Bee's confident smirk grew even more at this.

"You shouldn't be able to use any jutsu with arms like _that_ anymore," he said. "And with that wound in your stomach, who knows how much time you've got left before croaking?"

Hikari slowly closed his eyes and let out a calm sigh, seemingly composing himself. However, doing so made him realise the terrible state his body was in. He immediately fell to his knees again, wheezing and grunting in physical anguish. Bee took a step forward, hovering dangerously over the injured Osore member.

"Ah, looks like that time has already come. This fight's over," the Raikage said, extending his hand. Soon enough, a fierce surge of electricity engulfed it.

"Not yet... _I'll_ decide how this ends," Hikari muttered lowly. He slowly and cautiously manoeuvred his charred fingers to perform three hand seals. Bee rose his eyebrow and looked down at the man curiously. 

"And how's that?" he asked.

_"Stop wasting time on him, Bee! End it already!"_ The Raikage heard Gyuki say annoyingly in his conscious. 

"Supido: Mahi-ōra!" Hikari suddenly roared. Bee gasped lightly before swiftly bringing his hand down towards the man's head. Just before it made contact, Bee found the strange phenomenon from earlier halting his every movement once again. The Raikage noticed that immediately after Hikari cast the jutsu, a faint blue light had emitted from his eyes. The blonde shinobi was also looking deep into his own.

_Damnit! This technique must use eye contact to work!_ Bee thought. _That would explain why he suddenly stopped me before. I'm such a fool not to have noticed back then!_

_ "I _told_ you to finish him quickly, Bee!" _Gyuki scolded him angrily.

Hikari grunted again and sat up, performing another careful hand seal. He concentrated a mass of chakra throughout the lining of his throat and spat out a glob of clay. The clay quickly morphed into two clones of himself, which immediately dashed back into the distance.

"I-is that you, Hikari?" Zuko asked weakly, staring at one of the clones blankly. Due to his Curse Mark's regenerative powers, his right eye socket had already created a new eyeball, and his left eye socket was slowly healing as well. 

"Thank goodness, one of your eyes has been repaired. My plan would've been sure to backfire if we had to wait even longer to heal Lord Gyatsō," the clone said, bending down to pick up the Taisega clan member.

"B-but your original... h-he has both of my eyes already. What on earth happened over there?" Zuko asked.

Hikari's second clone threw another heavy fist through one of Zuko's chakra barriers, finally breaking through it. Inside, he found Gyatsō, breathing heavily above a large pool of blood. The clone sighed with relief and carefully picked the Osore leader up.

"Still breathing... you're as tenacious as ever, milord..." Then it vanished from sight.

"I can't b-believe how dire things have gotten for Hikari... which reminds me, where is he?" Zuko asked softly. He grunted as he pulled out his right eyeball and handed it to one of Hikari's clones. The clone quickly opened Gyatsō's now empty right eye socket and pushed the eye in. It took almost twenty seconds before a green aura appeared over the wound in the white-haired man's neck.

"He's still battling the Raikage. We had to move you two out of the area.. to ensure your survival," a clone told him. Zuko hovered his hand over his left eye, waiting for the soft organ to finish healing.

"...Ensure our survival?" the young man repeated slowly, squinting at the clone closest to him in suspicion. "What does he plan on doing?" he asked. The clone exhaled lightly and placed a hand on Zuko's shoulder.

"Very soon, the two of us clones will disappear. And that's because.. our original is going to take both the Raikage _and _himself out."


	54. Brief Flash, then Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko struggles hard to cope with the fact that Hikari plans on eliminating himself with the Raikage in a last-ditch effort to defeat him.

"What?! You can't be serious!" Zuko cried out, an exasperated look on his face. The thought of Hikari ultimately sacrificing himself seemed asinine to him, as it was the _last _thing Zuko thought he'd ever do. After all, nobody knew his best friend better than he did. While Hikari was irrefutably loyal to Gyatsō and the Hidden Dark, there were just some things Gyatsō didn't know about his blonde subordinate. An example being the fact that _only _Zuko was knowledgeable of Hikari's true self, that deep under his benign shell lied a man that wanted to avoid death like the plague. Since he was Orochimaru's guinea pig years ago, it was more than reasonable for him to do so. 

For reasons known only to the nefarious Orochimaru, an innocent Hidden Stone child had to witness countless other human experiments succumbing to the unnatural modifications implanted in them, a great deal of them literally imploding due to the excessive amounts of chakra in their bodies. A discombobulated Hikari would normally find the torn remains of their flesh and organs within their cells. Prisoners that were foolish enough to try and escape were captured and tortured for days on end until they died from their gut-wrenching injuries. Orochimaru even had their corpses routinely displayed in front of all the other prisoners to instill fear and dissuasion in them. Zuko was certain that there were many other horrors his friend experienced that he just didn't have the stomach to share.

_ After everything he's been through, how in the hell could he go through with this?!_ Zuko thought, furiously grinding his teeth together. The prospect of losing his only friend sent a surge of pure rage throughout every muscle in his body. It rose for what seemed like an eternity, then crashed into him like an enormous tidal wave. Without thinking, acting on pure response to this anger, the black-haired teen turned his body the rest of the way to face Hikari's clone directly, roughly latching a hand onto its cloak and pulling on it so that their faces were inches apart. He then reached into his ninja tools pouch and brandished a sharp kunai, dangerously pressing the metallic weapon against the clone's neck. Even with this sudden burst of aggression, Zuko was met with a completely unfazed expression from the clone. Its face was not only understanding of its impending doom, but accepting of it. Both two things Zuko was struggling very hard to do.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Zuko shouted indignantly, tightening his grip on the clone. "You just have to be a- a _dud!_ Hikari was at the very limit of his chakra reserves when he made the two of you, right? That would perfectly explain why you're _defective,_ spouting out complete nonsen-"

"As I am a clone," the clone interrupted, "I carried over my original's psyche the moment I was created. My thoughts and the thoughts of my original are one and the same. When I say he's fully intent on killing himself with the Raikage, it's no different from him telling you that himself. Also, you should know that he created us with the intention of letting you know what was about to become of him."

Faced with such revelations, Zuko quickly activated the second level Shaolin in his left eye, angrily glaring at the still unnerved clone.

"But that just doesn't make any sense to me! Why would he.. even..." Zuko found himself to be trailing off, his words becoming softer and softer before stopping completely. Clearly, the endlessly swarming questions in his head proved to be difficult to formulate through his lips.

"My original determined that his sacrifice is necessary. It will still take time for Lord Gyatsō's injuries to heal - time that he just simply didn't have. With the damage he's sustained restricting his movement, the Raikage would've made quick work out of him. Are you able to understand it better now, Zuko?" the clone asked. The dark-haired shinobi in question remained eerily silent. His crimson eye slowly drifted from the clone's face to the kunai still pressed against its neck. It wouldn't take any effort whatsoever for him to push the blade further and end the conversation right then and there. If he had the courage to do so, however, was entirely up for debate.

"He'd be _dead_," Hikari's clone continued, "right now I might add, if he didn't decide to do this. Then you would've never been brought here safely, and _your _death would've been guaranteed... sadly, that means Lord Gyatsō would have died as well. All those years of his planning _wasted _just because you couldn't see the bigger picture and get over yourself."

Zuko's eye suddenly shot back up to the clone, his grip on his kunai suddenly tightening. The clone returned Zuko's stern look. After a few seconds of this stare-down, the Taisega clan member slowly lowered his head, unable to will himself to actually attack it. Not only because it'd feel identical to attacking Hikari himself, but because he had to admit he was being told the truth. At the very least, he appreciated that Hikari willed himself not to sugarcoat this information.

"If it will help with your anger, Zuko, you can destroy me right here. Since my original will die very soon, it really makes no difference to me," the other clone spoke up, sitting on his knees next to an unconscious Gyatsō. Zuko took a moment before averting his gaze to the Osore leader. The green healing aura presently on Gyatsō's neck was still faint and weak, and the bleeding hadn't even stopped yet. Zuko concluded that this was due to the absence of his left eye's regenerative power. He released his tight grip on the clone's cloak and redirected his hand to his remaining eye.

"No... that won't be necessary... I just.. have to accept this," the young man said quietly. He carefully pulled out his eye and tossed it to the clone next to Gyatsō.

"Don't forget, both Orochimaru and Lord Gyatsō know the hand signs for the Reanimation jutsu. There's no doubt in my mind that this will only be temporary," the clone added in. He caught the eye and slowly pushed it into the white-haired man's empty left eye socket.

_If push comes to shove and we lose our advantage in this war, there's no way I'd be able to actually trust someone like Orochimaru, _Zuko thought. _There's just nothing about him that suggests he's completely loyal to the Hidden Dark and our ambitions. Obviously, I have to rule him out._

Zuko let out a sigh and placed his hand over the black seal located his neck. He applied a small amount of chakra in his palm, then withdrew his hand after about three seconds. The seal turned a bright red and immediately spread across his skin, a complicated pattern of cross markings soon covering him from head to toe.

_And I can't guarantee that Lord Gyatsō will revive Hikari, either... the smartest thing for me to do is... assume that he's gone forever...._

The markings on Zuko's skin grew closer until it appeared that every region of his body was glowing red. Just as before, mysterious black mists engulfed his body and dispersed after a short interval, revealing the transformed Osore member. Instead of having white blotches throughout his otherwise dark hair, he now had completely white locks that had grown to his waist. The Taisega clan member parted his lips to reveal his sharp fangs. 

"I wouldn't go into _that_ state so casually if I were you," the clone next to Gyatsō warned. "Your level two Shaolin isn't enough to have replenished your chakra reserves yet."

Zuko snapped his head to the right to look at the clone, a smug grin forming across his lips. The clone gasped lightly, noticing that his right eye socket had just somehow fully healed. In place of the standard crimson Shaolin was a much more intense, red-orange iris surrounded by two spiraling crosses and eight ominous dark triangles. Almost absentmindedly, Zuko had activated his unique Mūgetsu Shaolin simply just by tapping into the full power of Mirage's Curse Mark.

"I stand corrected," the clone said with an amused smile. "So, the rate of your healing depends on how much chakra you put into that seal on your neck. I guess you learn something new everyda-" 

Suddenly, the clone let out an unsettling gasp of air, its eyes widening as far as they could. Hikari worriedly reached out to the clone, his previous cocky expression turning into one of precipitous fear and anxiety.

"What's wrong?!" Zuko asked. The clone's eyes frantically looked into Zuko's, its shaky fist lifting and facing out to the white-haired teen. It then extended his fingers and closed its eyes.

"Farewell, my friend."

Immediately after, the clone dispersed into a lifeless smoke cloud. Zuko quickly turned around to seek answers from the remaining clone, only to discover that a second cloud of smoke was ominously hovering where it was standing.

"You're not getting out of this alive," Killer Bee grunted angrily, still struggling to even bend a finger. Hikari was staring hard at the ground when he slowly looked up into the Raikage's eyes. Another mass of chakra detonating clay was tightly clutched in his palm.

"Believe me, neither one of us are," he said under his breath. 

_"Neither one?"_ Bee heard Gyuki suspiciously mutter in his head. _"Listen, Bee, you've got to hurry up and break out of this guy's jutsu! I think he's about to try and take you both out with his next attack. The man's gone insane!"_

_ A little help would be greatly appreciated!_ Bee snapped back. _I could've sworn that genjutsu had no effect on Jinchuriki that were in sync with their Tailed Beast!_

_ "This is no genjutsu, Bee! I've already tried stabilizing your chakra flow, nothing's working! I didn't know what kind of jutsu this kid uses other than his space-time ninjutsu, I'm really at a loss here!"_

_ Well that makes two of us..._

"You undermined me one too many times, old man," Hikari said weakly. He took a few slow footsteps forward and placed a hand on Bee's shoulder, smirking menacingly. 

"And it costed you _everything..._ it would have been ideal for me to cut you down earlier, but oh well.." The blonde shinobi rose the ball of detonating clay to his lips and took multiple large bites out of it, almost failing to swallow due to how thick and rigid the clay was. He stumbled to his knees again, now clutching onto his terribly wounded stomach.

"A-and with this damn hole in my s-stomach, I would've been a goner anyway... once again, _oh well..._ you know, life really can be a bitch sometimes," Hikari said with a soft chuckle. Faced with an uncomfortable silence from the Raikage, he looked up at him and smiled, revealing his slightly damaged teeth.

"L-lighten up, will you..? I will be just as dead as you, and you see how chummy _I'm_ being... at least t-take solace in the fact that a perfect world is being created right in front of you..."

Bee gritted his teeth furiously at the younger male but still remained silent. Hikari stared at him for a few seconds before shrugging his shoulders. 

"Nothing, hm? What a shame. Well, I should get to it then..."

_Nendo: Shokan!_

After performing the required hand seals, Hikari's body suddenly bloated in random places. As seconds passed, he kept growing and expanding grotesquely as a result of the Shokan growing within his body. The blonde Osore member let out a disturbing, painful gurgling sound, shutting his eyes tightly. Blood soon pooled out of his mouth due to his organs being crushed from the inside. All he could do was endure the pain until it all ended at once.

_I was right back then... None of us would die decent deaths..._

Hikari thought back to when he was dismally informing his Osore comrades of such an idea. Upon doing so, he was reminded that Nagato died burning alive from Itachi's Amaterasu back in their battle in the Hidden Leaf. Konan was injured to such a degree, _he_ had to deal the killing blow to ease her suffering. Sebbech was swiftly impaled through the heart from Ketsueki's sword. Zuko broke Seiko's neck in a fit of rage, then later himself fell to Sasuke's lethal fray of sword attacks. Now there he was, in an indescribable amount of pain, seconds away from detonating himself. 

He thought even further back to when he was Orochimaru's plaything and the ensuing chaos afterwards. The war between the Hidden Dark and the battle-hungry Junkyosha Clan. The long list of people he murdered for his nation. His relationship with Suzuka. The matter in which she lost her life. Despite being so close to death's door, time appeared to move so, so slow. It allowed Hikari to witness the entirety of his life and more. 

He then thought about Zuko.

The blonde man roared at the top of his lungs, whether it was the pain he was feeling physically or mentally was unknown to him. Regardless, he managed to whisper three words, out of sheer willpower.

"Farewell, my friend."

A blinding light engulfed the area. Along with it, another catastrophic explosion unlike no other. Then immediately after, the light slowly faded away, not even remaining alive for more than five seconds. The only thing that followed was complete silence.


End file.
